Spin
by abby-sarajane
Summary: AU Malik Ishtar runs a gang, the Rare Hunters. Jounouchi Katsuya runs the rival gang, the Black Dragons. Rishid is Malik's second, the Dragonslayer. And Serenity is just caught in the middle. SetoxJou, RishidxSerenity, MarikxMalik
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I _do_ own some four-cheese doritos. Yum.

A/N: This is... weird. Sorry. V. v. AU. All lyrics used in the fic are from "Spin", by the band Revis. I _love_ that song, and was listening to it when I came up with this idea. And while I was writing the fic. And drawing fan art to go along with the fic... So imagine the song, because the stupid Powers will not let us have song lyrics. Hypocrites that they are. Oh, I'm not bitter, no... no.

xXx

The Rare Hunter's territory spread from the East Dock all the way to the edge of the Lakota district. What the hell some two-bit Black Dragon was doing at the Wharf was anyone's guess.

Rishid, of course, had taken care of the problem. That was his job. He was called the Dragonslayer- both by his side and the other- for a reason.

His boss and brother, Malik Ishtar, ran the Rare Hunters. He was the Second, the one who took care of any... problems that arose. He was good at it. _Very_ good. And since the only gang that ever even came _close_ to giving the Rare Hunters trouble was called the Black Dragons, his honorary (and sometimes somewhat mocking) title was The Dragonslayer.

And damn, did he love his job sometimes.

He didn't like killing, so much as he liked _fighting_. Getting out his aggressions, without hurting his family or friends. Not that he _had_ many friends... in fact, he had none. But family was important. Very important.

So when his little brother-by-adoption had started sleeping with one of the most ruthless gang members he'd ever met, he had been understandably upset.

Marik Ishaku had run the Blood Demons, one of the most vicious gangs Domino had ever known. He and Malik had met at a brawl over a club that was borderline of both their territories. Well, they had _started_ brawling and ended up having sex on the floor in the middle of the brawl. The Blood Demons merged with the Rare Hunters, and that was that.

Rishid had tried not to be hurt. He had known for years that it was wrong to be in love with his little brother, even if they weren't related by blood. He had shown his love in the only way he dared- by being utterly devoted to his brother and his brother's cause.

Malik had seemingly remained oblivious. Rishid just hoped that he was happy. That was all he wanted. That was all he had ever wanted.

He walked slowly away from his latest victim, frowning and brooding silently. The cops never came into this part of the city, and for a good reason... They'd be dead before they hit the second block in.

He was never sure what to make of Marik Ishaku. He and his brother had been... _together_ now for four months, and every other day, Malik had come down with more bruises and bite marks an him. Rishid sighed quietly and shook his head. _I guess some people just... _like_ that sort of thing._

It had never occurred to him that his brother was a masochist... It made sense now. Lots of sense. _I suppose when your father carves up your back when you're eight, it leaves more than physical scars..._

He felt sorry for his brother, but he did understand. But that still left him alone, and cold. He was slowly growing more and more numb to the world around him... When once he went out of his way to not kill, or to kill cleanly, he now made it last. And he _enjoyed_ their suffering. He reveled in it. It made part of him ill. The rest just didn't care.

He returned to his apartment, which he had once shared with his brother, but his brother was gone, moved into the plush condo that Marik owned. He sat down in his chair, stared at the wall, and brooded.

_If I knew what to do... I would do it._

Jounouchi Katsuya watched his sister dance. He hated the club, hated the people in it, and hated watching _his_ little sister put herself on display like a piece of meat. _Hn. Taylor better get his ass over here and start dancing with her, or I'm gonna kick it..._

He relaxes slightly as his Second found his sister and started dancing with her. _Good boy, Triss, you get a cookie..._

Unfortunately, the club was an important business, it brought in a lot of cash, and they _needed_ the money. The Rare Hunters owned half the east side, and it wasn't getting any easier to fend them off. That damn Dragonslayer of theirs had killed two of his men in the past week.

Katsuya took a long drag on his cigarette and exhaled slowly, settling back in his chair. The leader of the Black Dragons continued to watch his sister dance for a bit, but it gradually turned into blank staring as he considered his problem. _We had a chance, until they merged with the Demons... Now we're just fucked. _

He sighed and stubbed the cigarette out, lighting another immediately. _We need more money, dammit. Guess I'll have to hit Kaiba up tonight when I'm over there... Fuck, I need a reason this time... Aw, hell, I'll just give him the usual... "Dad spent the rent money on beer." That's how it always was before I killed the bastard anyway..._

Part of him felt bad for hitting the CEO up for money. The man really thought that Jou was a regular guy, trying to pay for college, with a layabout drunkard for a dad and a younger sister to support. He had no idea that he was the leader of the second largest gang in Domino. He also had no idea that Jou as just using him.

He felt almost bad about that. Kaiba was a hard guy to read, and harder to get close to. He was trusting Jou with some pretty important things, namely his heart and his trust. _So, when you tell him the truth, he suicides, you change the will and get all his money... Hell yeah!_

He sighed again, then stood up. _Fuck this. I don't wanna stay here any longer than necessary..._

Tristan noticed the movement and glanced over, saw his boss standing, and nodded. "C'mon, Serenity, it's time to go..."

"I don' wanna, and you can't make me." The auburn-haired girl smirked at him. "I'm staying a bit longer, go and tell niichan that."

Tristan sighed. _I'm dead for this..._ He moved over to Jou and sighed. "She wants to stay, boss..."

Jou ground his teeth. "Fine. Keep three guys here on watch, I don' want _nothin'_ happenin' to her, got it?"

Tristan nodded. "Right, boss." He nodded to three of the gang members and the headed out with his boss and best friend. "Jou... You sure about leavin' here there, man? I can get her out..."

"If she wants ta stay, that's her choice." Jou's voice cracked like a whip. "She's close enough ta bein' an adult now... Besides, I know damn well if you take her home, you two'll end up havin' sex again..."

Tristan flushed faintly. "That's none of your business..."

Jou twisted and slammed him against the wall. "_Wrong_, man," he growled lowly. "It _is_ my business. You're fuckin' _my_ little sister, and as long as it's what _she_ wants, I guess I'm ok with it. But the minute she fuckin' even _implies_ no, you leave her the fuck alone, got it?"

Tristan knew now that Jou was in a dangerous mood and he cursed mentally. He had a habit of putting his foot in his mouth, and he did it at the worst times. "Yeah. I got it boss."

"Good." Jou let him go. "Now I'm goin' ta Kaiba's. We need more money, and I'm gonna fuck it out of him."

Tristan nodded. "Sure, boss."

Jou nodded jerkily and stalked off towards the better side of town, where he could call Kaiba and get picked up by a limo. He needed a good fuck anyway, and there were two things Kaiba was good for, and that was sex and money.

At least to him, anyway.

Part of his mind protested at leaving his sister alone at the club. He had a feeling that something was going to happen, and he didn't know what.

_Aw, hell, I'm too paranoid... I just need to relax... and sex is good for that..._

He grinned as he found a good payphone, one that _didn't_ have graffiti spryed all over it (proof that he was out of the gangs' turfs) and put in some change, calling Seto. "Hey, koi... Come get me? I need to spend some time with you tonight..."

_Like takin' candy from a fuckin' baby._

A/N: Short chapter... next one will be longer, we promises. : nods:


	2. You're The Hand

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, I'm just borrowing the characters for my own twisted enjoyment. : looks around at all the characters with pitchforks: I'll return them after... um... I'm done... er... help?

Rishid was somewhat sulky as he stalked into Marik's plush condominium. He'd been well entrenched in his apartment, enjoying his brood-fest, when Malik had called. So, because he loved his little brother, he got up and went over there.

Malik was sprawled over Marik and the couch. The ex-gang leader smirked at Rishid as he came in. "Well, well... Good to see you, Rishid."

Something about Marik's voice reminded Rishid of metal grating against metal. "Marik. Malik. What's so important?"

"The Dragon's leader was spotted at this club, along with his sister and his Second." Marik handed his a post-it note with a name and an address on it. "Kill them all. Or whatever Dragons are left at the club."

Rishid raised an eyebrow. "Kill the leader of the Blank Dragons. If you wanted me dead, Marik, you could have shot me yourself..."

Marik's eyes glinted cruelly for an instant. "Now, now, Rishid, why would I want you dead...?"

"I have a fair list of reasons..." Rishid began.

"Rishid! Marik, that is enough..." Malik's authoritative voice cut into their argument. His lavender eyes sparked with anger. "Enough."

Rishid, bowed his head slightly. "As you wish, brother."

Marik's eyes lowered slightly as well. "Of course, my love."

Malik's nostrils flared some. "We're never going to defeat the Dragons with this internal bickering. You both know that. Now shut up and listen to me. Rishid, _I_ decided that you should go in and try to kill Jounouchi Katsuya. It was _my_ choice. Not Marik's. You're the best hitman we have, brother, and you know it was well as I. If anyone could take down Jounouchi, _you_ could."

Rishid felt a faint stirring of pride within him. _See, Marik? Malik knows where his trust should lie..._ "Of course, brother." He bowed and knelt before him. "I shall not disappoint."

"You never do, Rishid." Malik placed one hand on his head, then placed it on his shoulder, urging him up. "Go, and do not disappoint me."

Rishid bowed again. "Never, Master Malik." He turned and headed out, stopping by his apartment to get dressed properly for the hit.

Marik politely waited until he was gone to burst into laughter. "You certainly have him on a leash, my pet." He nipped Malik's ear lightly.

Malik elbowed him lightly. "Shut up, Rishid is very loyal, and a good man..."

Marik snorted and wrapped his arms around him. "He thinks he is in love with you. I recognize the signs. If he tries anything, I will kill him outright."

"You're imagining things..." Malik shook his head and kissed his lover gently. "Relax. Rishid is my brother, and my Second... He'll do the job properly."

"Of course." Marik purred and slipped his hands up under Malik's shirt. _By _dying_ this time and _staying _dead. Malik is _mine_, Rishid... He belongs to me and me alone... If you ever so much as _think_ of taking him, you will die before you knew what hit you... But that hardly matters... You, take down the leader of the Black Dragons? Hardly. Dear _brother_, it was so nice to know you... I'm certain Malik will perform a flawless eulogy at your funeral._

The thought made a deep chuckle rise in his chest. Malik twisted in his arms to look at him. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Marik lied smoothly. "Just what I'm planning to do to you tonight..."

Malik shivered at the low, sexy purring tone of his voice. "Mmm, all right..."

Marik smirked. _The blind leading the blind..._ Without further ado, he scooped his lover into his arms and carried him off to bed.

The Hunters on guard duty outside, thankfully, had been told to ignore the screaming from the bedroom.

Rishid stalked into the Dragon's Lair Club. _Subtle. So very._ He looked around, somewhat surprised at the lack of guards. If the leader of the Black Dragons _was_ here, where the hell was his entourage? The place _should_ have been crawling with guards... He should have had to kill five or six people already! He hadn't even drawn a gun yet...

He'd seen pictures of Jounouchi Katsuya, his Second, and his sister... He didn't see any of them. His cool, professional gaze swept the club, searching for a mop of blonde hair, or a spike of brown. Nothing.

_Damn. I'm too late... Heyla... What have we here..._

There. On the dance floor. Jounouchi's little sister. No mistaking that hair color. From what his spies had said, she and the Dragons' Second were fuckbuddies... So where was he?

_So she slipped away from him... Or left him... Or he left her..._

He chose a booth (unknowingly the same Jounouchi had used not half an hour before) and watched her dance. _Plan of action... Hn..._

The best choice would to get close to her, to lead her away from the crowd, to shoot her some place away from witnesses. The club was dark, with flashing lights, it would be nearly impossible to tell who he really was... The only person who would have gotten a good look at him would be dead.

He could even act as if he was seducing her, perhaps. Work off some of his energy that way. _She is pretty._ He hummed faintly, leaning back in his seat. He was not gay, as some of the men under his command had called him mockingly and in much less flattering terms, just before he'd put them in ICU for a few days. He considered himself pansexual. Love was love, to him, no matter what.

Not that he _loved_ her. Of course not. She was a rival to him, nothing more. A target. Soon-to-be-ex target.

Slowly he stood up and headed down to the dance floor. _Dance, seduce, and shoot. Won't be the first time._

Serenity was finally starting to enjoy herself. It was never any fun to dance with her brother or her so-called boyfriend watching. They ruined her fun. And Tristan, bless his heart, couldn't dance to save his life. He looked like a monkey whenever he tried.

As of right now, no one was even dancing with her. _Aw, c'mon, boys, have I lost my touch?_ She tossed her hair a bit and swayed a bit more provocatively to the music.

Suddenly arms went around her waist and turned her around, pulling her up against a firm, hard body. _Oo, this is new..._ She looked up to see who it was.

No one she knew, that was for sure... He was tall, dark-skinned and had some sort of tattoo or scar on his face. For a moment, she thought he was bald until he swayed a bit and a long ponytail came into view. _Ooh, _exotic His clothing was black on black on black, leather pants, a tight black t-shirt and a black leather jacket. Simple, but _sexy_. Especially on _him_.

_Hmm... and since Tristan took off, I'm fair game, I suppose..._

"Hello," he finally spoke, and his voice was deep and rich.

"Hey," she purred back with a wink. _I _like_ this guy... This'll be fun!_ "You wanna dance?"

"In what way?" The man raised an eyebrow.

_Oh, yeah... I _really_ like this guy..._ "In every way," she purred and wrapped her arms around him.

"I think I can handle that..." He murmured in her ear, hands dropping to her hips and dragging her up against him.

"Mm, are you sure? I'm quite the handful..." She pressed further against him, rocking slowly.

"I'd noticed," he said, sounding somewhat amused. His hands trailed over her back slowly. "I'm fairly sure I can handle you... I'm tougher than I look..."

"Oh, I hope so... Really I do..." She purred and settled into a steady rhythm with him. _This is going to be more fun than I've had in _so_ long..._

_This is going to be ridiculously easy._ Rishid mentally snorted. The girl was practically a cat in heat, writhing against him and purring all over him. She was never going to know what hit her. It would probably be a blessing to her brother that she was dead... It would save him a good deal of worry.

However, she _did_ know what she was doing. He was already starting to respond to her wanton advances, but he'd have had to be a eunuch not to. She was _very_ pretty, and her hair smelled very good and _damn_ he was starting to lose himself!

He struggled to focus, to remember where he was and, more importantly, _why _he was here. He had to kill this girl. _He could not get involved_. That was imperative.

_Let's get this over with._

He pulled back from her, and with very little acting, looked properly smitten with lust. "Let's get out of here..." he rasped.

Serenity grinned faintly. _Like putty in my hands..._ "Sure..." She took his hand and lead him out quickly.

Rishid was immediately aware of three men following them both. _Hn. Figures._ This wasn't going to be _quite_ as easy as he thought. But it was still going to be easy. A respectable distance away, he "snapped" and pinned her against the wall. "You're a little tease, aren't you?" He kept his voice hungry and low, again, with little acting.

Serenity giggled softly and slid her arms around his neck. "Mm, yep, I know it..."

Rishid paused for a moment. "I don't even know your name..."

"Serenity." She slipped a leg between his and rubbed teasingly. "Is it that important?"

Rishid gasped and shifted so his arms caged her against the brink wall. _Damn.. oh, _damn_, she is good at this..._ "Just... wanted to know what I should say when I come..." He kept his voice low, but he knew the men were creeping up on him, knew that they would be thinking of a free show with some stranger and their boss's sister. _Idiots. You've signed your death warrants..._

"Mm, that's a good idea..." She chuckled richly and trailed a hand through his ponytail. "What's your name?"

He paused, then gave it. "Rishid." He murmured, and did the stupidest thing he had ever done. He leaned down and smashed his lips to hers. She responded instantly, opening her mouth and letting him dominate it.

Serenity was enjoying this. He was so different from Tristan... it was great! He was so much more demanding, so much _hungrier_... It was exactly what she needed. He tasted exotic, unlike anything she'd even had before. She wasn't even realizing his hands were moving, until she heard the unmistakable sound of a gun with a silencer on it. She went completely rigid, fearing for a moment that he had shot _her_... Then the gun was placed against her head, and the man pulled back, and his green-gold eyes were cold. "R-Rishid?"

"Hello." His lips pulled back into a humorless smile, revealing sharp white teeth. "I am the Dragonslayer."

He had killed the three guards before they had even known he had a gun, then placed the gun to the girl's head. Her eyes were huge in fear and shock, dominating her entire face. Her expression was clear- _Oh, shit._ "You are stupid, ne?"

"Let me go! I never did anything to you!" Serenity became desperate. "And I'm not stupid!"

"Leaving a club, that you _know_ gang members frequent, with a completely strange man. I call that stupid. Especially when he is from the rival gang, and he is going to kill you." Rishid smirked.

She swallowed and closed her eyes. "Please... _please _don't kill me... I'll do anything... just... please... don't..."

He narrowed his eyes, and his finger settled on the trigger. _Just shoot her. Just do it. Forget about what she tasted like, forget about how she feels pinned beneath you and just _shoot_ her..._

Serenity slowly opened one eye and saw the expression on his face. He looked as if he was at war with himself. Slowly, she brought up one hand and put it on the hand that held the gun. "Please..." _I swear, God, if I live, I'll straighten out... _one_ guy, for the rest of my life, I swear..._

Rishid jerked at her touch, then took a slowly shaky breath. For an instant, his finger tightened on the trigger, but he already knew he couldn't kill her. He slowly lowered the gun. "This never happened. You were never here. You never saw me and you don't know who I am. Understood?"

Serenity blinked rapidly, then nodded just as rapidly. "Yes, sir!" She relaxed slowly as he pulled away and replaced the gun inside his jacket. "Thank you..." she whispered.

Rishid ground his teeth and turned on his heel, vanishing into the shadows. _Why are you leaving her... She's going to tell... She _has_ to tell... Then if you don't get killed on a job, then Malik or, more likely, Marik will kill you..._

Serenity blinked as he vanished and sighed. One hand went to her lips and she actually _blushed_.

_"You are stupid, ne?"_

_Yeah... yeah, I think I am..._

Seto Kaiba had very few things in life to look forward to. Evenings and nights spent with his lover were very, very high on the list.

Jou was special to him. He seemed to always understand what the CEO was going through, and he always seemed to have answers to his problems. Not only that, but he was _great_ in bed.

He was the only person Seto would let touch him like this... He was helping to heal the scars inflicted by his abusive adoptive father. It was a relief, and something that he doubted he could ever share with anyone else.

Not that he wanted to. Jou was prefect, in every way. Perfect body, perfect looks, perfect attitude... Sure, they clashed, and often... but make-up sex was fun, and Seto made damn sure never to go to bed angry at his lover. It was one thing that Mokuba had warned him to do, and he had agreed.

He loved his little brother dearly, and was glad that Jou seemed to love him as well. It took a load off of his mind, especially that Mokuba was calling him "Jou-niichan" now.

Beside him, his lover finally stirred and opened chocolate-amber eyes. "Mm, hey..." Jou yawned. "How long was I out?"

"A couple hours," Seto brushed hair from his eyes. "You needed it. You looked exhausted..."

Jou chuckled and kissed him gently. "Mm, well, you wear me out, koi..."

Seto laughed softly as well and kissed him back. "Good, then you won't sneak out on me tonight..."

"Nope, tonight I can stay... Dad spent the rent money on beer again, so he'll be comatose for about a week this time..." He sighed heavily, slipping into his act with ease.

Seto looked at him in concern. "He spent the rent money _again_? I'm sorry... I'll write you a check tomorrow, is that ok?"

_Jackpot..._ "You don' gotta, Seto..." He poured reluctance into his voice. "I can't depend on ya forever..."

"Nonsense." Seto waved a hand. "It's pocket money to me. I'll have a check for you tomorrow morning... Besides, I'd _like_ to have you depend on me forever..." He smiled slightly at him.

Jou smiled back. _This is always too damn easy... I almost feel bad about it... He's usually so paranoid... One pretty face ruins it for all. I'm your Delilah, Samson. And you don't even realize I'm shavin' your head..._ "Thanks, koi."

"No problem. But that's for tomorrow... For tonight..." Seto slipped an arm around Jou's waist and tugged him closer. "Round two?"

Jou chuckled and kissed him slowly. "Mm, of course..."

All in all, this was a good life he had.

A/N: Behold, Bastard!Jou! Muahahahaha: shifty eyes: Hee. And I don't _care_ if people seem OOC... It's an _alternate universe_. And I like it this way. X3 Review? Please? It brings me joy... And if you flame me, I'll just post it on my LJ so all meh friends can laugh at it. : snickers;:

**leaf zelindor:** Dear Lord, if you're _that_ desperate, come and look at my computer some time... It's not like you don't know where it _is_... : snickers:

Seto: sulking:

Marik: Purrs:

Rishid: ...

**nicole-purple:** Gah! _Enough with the damn pizza already!_ : calls Dominos' and lets you loose on the poor pizza guy: And don't worry, you know me. : grins evilly:

**Panda Doru: The Geek God:** Oh, trust me... one thing you'll learn about me is that I never have a _really_ sad ending... Unless I'm _really_ depressed, and then I always warn my readers. XD It'll get bad... but then it'll get better... Or _will_ it? o.O


	3. That Spins My Revolver Around

Disclaimer: Still don't own 'em. : sighs: I will die poor.

Chapter 3: That Spins My Revolver Around

"'They weren't there'!"

Rishid did not flinch as an expensive vase flew by his head and crashed into the wall. He did not respond- Malik was in a dangerous temper now. Even Marik was standing well away from him.

"_They weren't there?_ How could they not be there! We received the information and sent you off immediately! Yes, Jounouchi and his Second were seen leaving, but his sister _wasn't_!"

"Perhaps our dear Second is hiding something from us..." Marik's voice was sweet, but held a low, growly undertone. "Perhaps they _were_ there..."

Rishid's head snapped up and his eyes blazed. "How dare you imply that..."

"I 'imply' because I put the needs of the Rare Hunters first..." Marik snarled back.

"You? That is a _lie_..." Rishid straightened and glared at him. "You are the most selfish-"

"_That is enough!_"

Both combatants turned and stared at Malik. The younger, shorter man glared at the both of them. "Shut. Up. Both of you. Right now. If I hear one more word out of either of you, I'll have both of you shot in the knees, is that understood!"

Both men nodded mutely. It was the truth, and they both knew it.

Malik turned and stalked to his chair, sat down with a thud, and returned to drinking his wine. "Well. This is unexpected. I do not suspect treachery on your part, Rishid. I believe that they were gone when you arrived. The slut sister probably slipped past our watch by hiding in some guy's pants."

Rishid bowed to hide his expression or mingled relief at his absolution and anger at his flippant insult of Serenity. He had to quickly remind himself that he didn't care, and straightened back up. "More than likely, Master Malik."

Malik sipped his wine and motioned for Marik to come to him, which he did, settling himself at Malik's feet obediently. Rishid suppressed a growl. Part of him refused to believe that Marik did any of this without an ulterior motive. It just wasn't in his character.

Malik sighed and settled back in his seat. "Well, damn. We lost the best opportunity we've had in months. There will be another, I suppose. Go home Rishid. Unless I call you, I do not want to see you for the next two days, understood?"

Rishid nodded and bowed. It was much, much less than he deserved. "Thank you, Master Malik." He jerked his head in a slight nod to Marik and turned quickly, walking out as fast as was dignified.

Malik looked down at Marik. "Marik, you had no right to say those things to Rishid. He is loyal..."

"I still think he was lying." Marik growled. "I should send men to follow-"

"_NO._" Malik's response was immediate. "We can't spare the men, and besides, it's a stupid waste of time. I know my brother, he is going to go home and sit in his chair and read. If he doesn't read, he'll end up watching old black-and-white movies until two a.m. And then he'll fall asleep..."

Marik sighed, shaking his head. "Of course, my love, of course..." It was stupid to argue with Malik. Especially now. But his time would come.

Oh, yes... his time would come again.

Serenity numbly made her way home. Being almost killed tended to shock her, and seeing as how this was only the second time it happened, she had reason to be somewhat wobbly.

The lights were on in her apartment. _Oh, shit. Tristan's here... Dammit._

He really was the last person she wanted to be around right now. He didn't kiss like that... _Dragonslayer_. He didn't sound like him. He didn't... do anything like him! She knew it was wrong to be thinking this way... The Dragonslayer... Rishid- _Is that even his real name? Did he _really_ use his real name?_ -was an enemy, someone not to be trusted. Besides, Tristan had been her first, and she _had_ loved him at some point, but...

He just wasn't the one.

_Oh, and the guy who tried to kill you is. Suuure..._ She sighed as her mind pointed out that little fact. _But he _didn't_ kill me... He had the perfect opportunity... He wouldn't have had a single witness... He killed those other guys without hesitation... Why me? Why _not_ me, really...?__How was I so different to him?_

"Serenity?"

_And here comes tweedlestupid. _

Tristan opened the front door to the apartment complex. "Why didn't you call me, babe? I would have come and gotten you..."

"I- I wanted to walk, have some time alone." Her response was soft. "I'm fine, really..."

Tristan gave her a worried look, then nodded. "Ok, c'mon, let's get off the street..."

Serenity's skin crawled slightly. _The Dragonslayer might be there... Is that why he left me alive? To kill Tristan? Or even my brother? But he's at Kaiba's, he'll be safe..._

Part of her hoped that that was the truth... If Tristan were dead, she wouldn't feel like she had such a responsibility to him... Then, of course, she felt absolutely horrible for that thought.

But it didn't matter, no shot echoed from out of the night, and Tristan shut the door and bolted it safely. She relaxed slightly now and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm going to take a bath and go to bed..."

"Give me a minute and I'll join you..." Tristan gave her a suggestive grin.

"No." Serenity said quickly. "No, I don't want to- I just want to be alone, ok?"

Tristan frowned. "Serenity, what's gotten into you? Did I do something to upset you? You haven't been, you know... faking orgasms, have you?"

Serenity twitched faintly. "... Tristan... please go away..."

Tristan sighed and shook his head. "Look, babe, just give me a chance to make you feel better, ok?"

"_Go. Away._" Serenity turned away. "I don't _want_ you, Tristan. Not right now. _Please_."

Tristan blinked, then his eyes narrowed. "If you're sleeping with another guy..."

"For once, no, I'm not." Serenity snapped, and her voice held as much loathing for herself as for him. "I've... realized some things today, Tristan... I... I'm cleaning up my act... And I just... don't want to be reminded... so... at least for a while... We're over."

For an instant, she knew that Tristan wanted to hurt her very badly. Then he calmed, probably half because he knew Jou would kill him if her hurt her. The other half was probably because he was hurting himself. "Ok. I understand." He took a deep breath and sighed. "Can I... still stay here?"

"Of course, if it doesn't hurt you..." Serenity took his hand slowly. "Tristan... please... I still want to be your friend..."

"I know, I know..." Tristan managed a wry grin. "Look, Duke's been bothering me about that damn game shop of his for months... I might... go over and talk to him about it..."

Serenity snickered quietly. "I always did think you two looked better together than we did..."

It was _not_ her imagination, Tristan _blushed_ faintly. "Whatever..."

She poked him. "You liiiike him..."

He only blushed more. "Brat. I'd forgotten you can get this annoying..."

"All the better reason that we break up then." She smirked in triumph. "Go, go and screw Duke senseless..."

"Hey, now, he might not want that..." Tristan protested, flushing even harder.

"Yeah, whatever," she mimicked his tone and shook her head. "Take a chance or don't..."

He bit his lip. "I'll... probably be back..."

"Only if you're really unlucky." She gave a little wave and a grin. "Have a nice evening!" She headed slowly for the bath, and heard Tristan leave, locking the door behind him. She turned the water on just short of "scalding" and waited for the tub to fill.

_"You are stupid, ne?"_

_"You never saw me and you don't know who I am..."_

She slowly undressed and slipped into the tub. _I guess I really_ don't_ know who you are... Maybe I should find out... Oh, Jesus, Serenity, what's _wrong_ with you? You want to know _more_ about the guy who tried to kill you? Who can and _will_ kill your brother and your boy- _ex_-boyfriend at a moment's notice? Who may very well kill _you

She let the heat soak into her and sighed. _Yes. I _do_ want to know more... I want to talk to him... Find out _why_ he didn't kill me... And... _Damn_ I've never wanted anyone like this before... But I'm supposed to be cleaning up now! I can't have a mindless relationship with my worst enemy!_

She groaned and sank lower in the tub. _Face it. Freud would love you. Your brother on the other hand? Yeah... You're gonna be disowned._

_Or worse._

Rishid made it home without incident and flopped in his chair. His apartment was horribly empty and cold, and it made him feel even worse. _You idiot. You are going to get yourself killed. Horribly. Slowly. Painfully. Idiot. Why did you betray your brother in that way?_

He rubbed his head slowly and sighed. It felt horribly like he was cheating on his brother with this woman... even if his brother had never even shown the _slightest_ bit of sexual interest towards him.

Oddly enough, that familiar thought hurt less than it should have. His eyes should have stung, his chest constrict and his stomach twist. Rather, there was only a little pang of sorrow, and it faded quickly. _Dearest Gods, no, I can _not _be in love with this girl! I hardly know her! I never will! Gods, in a week or so, I will probably be called upon to attempt to kill her again! I _cannot_ get involved!_

_Idiot. You were involved the moment you let yourself kiss her..._

Damn. He'd _known_ that that would come back to haunt him. He closed his eyes and sunk back against the chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose. _Why me? Gods, why me? What did I ever do to offend you?_ He rubbed the scars on his face. They ached faintly, reminding him of the depths of his devotion and the vow he had made to his little brother. _And now I will give it all up for a woman? An _enemy_? Gods, where has my mind gone, my control? I was never like this before... _

His jaw tightened as he sat up, then stood and began to pace. _I know what I must do. I must go to my brother in two day's time and offer to try again. Jounouchi, his Second, the girl, whatever. _Especially_ the girl. I _must_ get rid of her, she is a threat to my brother by distracting me! If I destroy her, I can finally return my mind to my _brother_, where it belongs. Whether Malik loves me or not, I _do_ love him. I _must

He nodded and sat back down, content with his decision, and turned on the TV. He turned the volume down low, and let his mind wander.

_"R... Rishid?"_

_I have never told my name to a target before... I... It sounded... good coming from her... No!_ He cursed softly and focused his attention back on the TV. _I am going to _kill_ her. As soon as possible! That is the end of it!_

_That _must _be the end of it..._

A/N: This is the last chapter I'm uploading until I'm back at school after Christmas break. No reveiw replies this time, to those of you who reviewed on Ch.2, I'll reply on Ch. 4 to both this chapter and the last. . Thanks for reading!


	4. When You Push Me Away

Disclaimer: Do I really have to go through this again?

Chapter 4: When You Push Me Away

Jounouchi Katsyua liked living large. That was why he had the perfect boyfriend. Seto Kaiba was the richest man in Domino- screw that, the richest man in _Japan_- and yet he seemed to be extremely naive about things. Like _life_, generally.

The man had been trained up the ass for _every possible situation_... Except for the one he was unknowingly in now- someone who was everything he thought he wanted... and in reality was anything but.

But Jou had to keep that under wraps for now. He needed Kaiba. More importantly, he needed Kaiba's money. Kaiba's body was pretty damn useful too. And if somehow, his dear koi found out that he was being used...

Well. Accidents happened. Especially to Kaibas. Look at poor Gozabura, fell headfirst out a fortieth story window of his company. Oops. Like father, like son.

Oh, but this was all speculation. So far, his boyfriend didn't have a clue. And as he waltzed into the Dragon's Lair, he felt high as a kite.

And he hadn't even done any drugs!

He had a nice fat check in his pocket for no less than two thousand dollars, _more _than enough for poor Katsuya to pay for his daddy's rent _and_ groceries. More than enough for Jou to pay his thugs.

"Hey, niichan." Serenity was sitting in a booth, and miracle of miracles, she was drinking something non-alcoholic!

"Hey, Serenity." He grinned at her cheerfully. "What's shakin'?"

"Nothing..." She chewed her lip a bit, wearing the same thoughtful, almost troubled expression she'd worn for the past two days. "I'm just... hangin' out..."

"Something wrong?" No matter what he was doing, no matter how angry he was, no matter how low he had sunk, he would _always_ have time for his little sister.

"No, no, I'm fine." Serenity smile at him gently. "I've... just realized some things, niichan... I broke up with Tristan a couple days ago..."

Jou blinked. That wasn't very expected. At the least, Tristan was a sure thing for her in bed... "Really?"

"Yeah..." Serenity chewed her lip. "I'm cleaning up my act some, Jou... I just... wanted to... fix things..."

"I understand..." Jou blinked slowly. "You're... you're not gonna go off and tell the cops...?"

"No! Never!" Serenity shook her head. "You're my brother, Jou, I love you, and I'd never do that to you..."

Jou relaxed slowly. "Thanks, sis." _Phew. If she went to the cops... Kaiba practically _owns_ the cops... He'd find out... and I'd be out on my ass in no time... Dammit, can't let _that_ happen..._

Serenity smiled at him, then sighed and looked down. "I'm... I'm going to go home, Jou... I just don't want to be here anymore..."

Jou nodded. "Ok, sis... Be safe, ok? Is Tristan there still?"

"No, he and Duke started their relationship yesterday..." She giggled faintly. "I haven't seen him for twenty-four hours..."

Jou rolled his eyes. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" He knew damn well that was why he and his sister had gotten along so well at first. Tristan liked sex, and Serenity was curious about the whole deal. At first that had really, really pissed him off. Then, since it was what Serenity wanted, he had let it go.

But now... she'd broken up with him? What the hell was going on here? This wasn't like his sister... She was quiet, preoccupied and much calmer than he'd seen her in a long time. _Ok... either she's on a new drug I don't know about, or she's found Jesus..._

"No, and no," Serenity sighed. "Niichan, I know you well enough... I know what you're thinking. And I'm _not_ on drugs, and I'm not going to become a nun..."

"Thank God," Jou muttered. "'Cause that'd be scarier than the drug thing."

Serenity giggled faintly. "No, no... I'm perfectly normal... I'm just... things change, Niichan... and I've changed too... I guess I've matured. Tristan was... well, he was a schoolgirl crush..."

"You're seventeen..." Jou pointed out. "Technically, you're still a schoolgirl..."

"That's beside the point..." Serenity waved a hand. "I'm just... older now, Jou... I want something _more_ than what Tristan could give..."

"Better oral sex?" Jou hazarded a guess.

Serenity blushed brightly. "Jounouchi Katsuya!"

"No, seriously, Devlin says he's lacking in that department..." His tone and expression was serious, but his eyes were dancing.

Serenity felt as if the blush on her cheeks was now a permanent part of her face. "_Niichan_! How can you _do_ this to me?"

"I'm just kiddin' ya, sis..." Jou shook his head a bit. "I'm glad you're growin' up. Part of me is... kinda upset... I miss the little girl you used ta be... but... I can understand."

Serenity hugged him gently and smiles at him. "Thank you for understanding, niichan. I'm glad you're so calm..."

"I'm happier that you're not sleepin' with him, actually," Jou sighed. "Just... be careful, sis."

"Always." Serenity gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and stood. "I'm going home, ok? Will you be there or at Kaiba's tonight?"

"Kaiba's, prob'ly..." Jou shrugged. "He'll probably demand it of me."

"That's fine." Serenity smiled. "Have fun and be safe!" She headed out, book tucked under her arm.

_Mary friggin' Poppins has got nothin' on my sister..._ Jou sighed and sat back, looked up at the ceiling, then ordered a drink.

Serenity hummed softly as she unlocked the door of her apartment. She was in a far, far better mood than she had been in for a long time. She shut the door and locked it, turned around- and screamed, dropping the book to the floor.

Rishid Ishtar pointed a gun at her head. "Silence." He said lowly.

As Serenity scrambled back against the door, he rose and paced around her, keeping the gun trained on her. He had made this decision on his own. He knew that if he failed, he would be in very deep trouble. He knew that if he succeeded, he may well be in very, very deep trouble.

So he resolved that if he succeeded, he would leave for a little while, while things died down. If he failed... he would die. Either by his hand, or by Malik's. _Not_ Marik's. He refused to die at the hand of that... _thing_.

Serenity licked her lips slowly. "R-Rishid..."

"Shut up," the man snarled sharply. "I should have done this three days ago. I should never have hesitated... That was my mistake..."

Serenity flinched faintly and closed her eyes. "Um... well forgive me for not thinking that it was a mistake... But please... you didn't kill me before... why now?"

"Because I must atone for my error." His voice was harsh, grating. "I failed in my task when I was to kill you last time, and I must never fail again... You represent everything I tried to purge from myself..." His voice suddenly became distant, as if he didn't realize he was speaking. "The emotions I wanted to suppress... The needs I ignored... The desires I tried to forget... And I thought I had succeeded... And then there was _you_." His eyes sharpened on her. "You... you were different than the others..."

Serenity licked her lips slowly. "But why me? Seriously? I'm no one important... Why not Tristan? Or even Ushiro?"

"Because without you, your brother will be distraught... he will crumble and he will fail..." Rishid growled softly. "And with him, the Black Dragons will crumble, and the Rare Hunters will be triumphant..."

"But... will you... be all right?"

Rishid blinked, staring at her. _Did she just say what I think she said?_ "What?"

"Will you be all right?" Serenity repeated slowly. "That's what I'm worried about."

"..." Rishid slowly lowered the gun and stared at her. _How? How can she possibly say that? How can _she_ be worried about _me "I am going to kill you..." He said slowly. "How can you possibly be concerned over my welfare?"

"I just am," Serenity all but whispered. "I don't have a reason... I don't need one. I- I haven't been able to stop thinking about you... I even broke up with Tristan... because of you... I dream about you... I hear your voice all the time... and dammit, unless you're stalking me, then I'm just damned obsessed!" Her voice had risen to a shout, then she closed her eyes. "Dammit... I don't _know_... If you're going to kill me, just kill me... But please, stop playing with me... stop haunting me..."

Rishid glanced down at the gun in his hand and then back at Serenity. Slowly, he raised the gun and pointed it at her again. _I... must do this... I cannot fail again..._

Serenity closed her eyes and turned her head away. _I was supposed to be safe here... I wasn't supposed to die like this... I was supposed to live... And... I feel _safer_ around him than I ever did around Tristan... I don't know why that is... but it is... and if I have to... I guess I will die._

Rishid's muscles tightened as he tried to force himself to pull the trigger. _Just kill her. Now. Don't hesitate anymore. Just get rid of her. Now. Or else, you know what will happen to you... Death will be the least of your worries... It will kill the dreams, the fantasies... It _must_... It _has_ to..._

Serenity swallowed and risked looking at him. Once again, he looked as if he were at war with himself, rigid and tense, eyes unfocused. "Rishid?" she murmured softly. "Please..."

Whether she was pleading with him to kill her or not to kill her, it didn't matter. It broke what was left of his control. He tossed the gun to one side and stalked over to her slamming her against the door and kissing her.

Serenity wanted to scream in shock, but his mouth was clamped over hers, stealing her breath and muffling all the noises she could've created. Her hands came up to his chest with the vague idea of pushing him away, but she ended up clinging to his shirt and melting into the kiss. _Oh, God... It didn't even feel like this last time... Mmm..._

Rishid's entire body burned, every single desire he had ever had for Malik and for her rising in him, forcing past the barriers he had put up, flooding his senses. He deepened the kiss forcefully, letting his tongue invade her mouth, dropping his hands to her waist.

Serenity moaned faintly and responded hungrily to the kiss, shifting to wrap her legs around his waist and hold herself with her arms around his neck and her back against the wall. She pulled away first, compelled by the desire to breathe. "Oh, my God..." She breathed.

Rishid also pulled back slowly, looking her over with dark eyes. _If I do this, I am a dead man._

_I will die happy._

Without any hesitation, he carried her effortlessly to her bedroom, dropping her on the bed and pinning her down easily. "You will be mine," he growled, his voice deeper than usual with lust.

For an instant, Serenity was utterly terrified. _He wants _me_? He- he wants to fuck me? But I _promised_... Oh, hell, he's the Dragonslayer, he may damn well be the last man you ever even see... And he's so strong... and handsome... and everything I ever wanted..._

"Yes," she murmured, and slowly relaxed.

He took full advantage of that, and all but tore the shirt from her body. She retaliated by tugging at his until he grew annoyed and removed it. One hand slipped down his chest and started on his pants, and he grabbed her hand quickly and forced it away. "Not yet," he purred. "Not just yet."

She settled back and made a faintly purr-like sound at him. "If you insist..."

He smirked and finished undressing her hurriedly.

It was quite a while until she got to his pants.

Marik frowned faintly as he hung up the phone. He glanced over at his lover, then back at the phone. _If only that bastard could be tailed... Damn him for being so _good_! Someday, I _will_ catch him off-guard, I _swear

He sighed and turned back to his lover. "Your brother is not in his apartment yet." He forced his voice to be neutral.

Malik rolled his eyes and beckoned imperiously. "Come here, Marik. I wish you'd give up this silly grudge-thing you have against my brother..."

Marik settled down with Malik and shook his head. "You think too much of him. It is one in the morning, and he is not yet here..."

"Then he's either drunk in a hotel, or..." he smirked faintly, and started to chuckle. "Or niichan's finally getting laid..."

Marik closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "_Or_ he is off somewhere betraying us..."

"Oh _stop_ it!" Malik stood up, eyes blazing. "I said I've had enough of this slandering of my brother! Stop it immediately, or you're on the couch!"

Marik sulked faintly. Malik was annoying sometimes, but he _was_ tasty, and damned good in bed. "Very well, my love," he sighed. "I shall refrain from mentioning my... _concerns_ about your brother in your presence."

"You won't have the men hounding him either!" Malik said sharply. "Niichan has enough problems without _your_ help and _you will let him be_!" The last part was snarled in frustration. Marik backed off with a bow.

"Of course, my love." He watched the gang leader stalk out of the room and turned his gaze on the floor. _Well. I must find real evidence, and show it to him. And then I will get _rid_ of him... And Malik will be mine. Mine in _every_ way._

_Forever._

A/N: -# I'm back at school now... and I'm not at all ready for the next semester. Next chapter... hell, I don't know when I'll get to it. : sighs: Humor me. I have Organic Chem II this semester. Yeah.

**Fireclaw:** : snorks: Thank you! Glad you liked it!

**The Summer Stars:** : snickers;: I can see where you'd think she's a sex kitten... : snickers more: Well... yes and no, I suppose, but that's beside the point... . ... As for the ebil Jou... well... stick around and see what happens. : winks:

**Panda Doru: The Geek God:** Um... The Duke/Tristan isn't likely to happen... but I can give you some Seto/Jou pr0n, perhaps... I'll see where my muse takes me, and I'll try to oblige you. : grins:

**Leaf Zelindor:** Rishid: just sighs:

: pets Serenity: Don't be confused, all will be made clear... er... eventually...

**nicole-purple: **: sniffles some: I get the feeling you don't like me much. XD Aw, I know you love me. : preens a bit: _Any_way... yeah. Mak!

**Yami no Marik:** Yeah, I understand that. : nods: But I like to give Serenity a personality. It's fun. : grins:

**Sebastion:** Impertinence? Hardly. Hm. Well, I don't really see Malik that way, but I can see where you're coming from. Don't worry, Malik will take a much more active role in later chapters, I can guarantee. Hmm... Rishid doesn't have much a self-image, but what he does have of it is something like "My Gods, I'm in love with my own adopted brother and look, I kill people for a living and I'm starting to like it, I'm a horrible person." Mostly, he tries not to think about things too much, which... never... really works. Rishid's problem is that he _does_ hope, no matter how hard he tries to hide it. So he fails constantly. And that kinda wears down on him after a while. Thanks for your kind words!


	5. Lark in the Morning

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I'm writing this during finals week. Ehehe. Maybe I _do_ own Yu-Gi-Oh... and maybe I don't... : shifty eyes:

Rishid woke in the morning and blinked slowly. _Where am I?_ He blinked some more, feeling foggy and somewhat sleepy still. _This is not my apartment..._

Something warm and _living_ snuggled against his chest, mumbling. _And unless I bought a hairless cat..._ He slowly looked down and tensed slightly. The sister of the leader of the Black Dragons, Serenity Jounouchi, was snuggled against his chest, with a smile on her face.

She was beautiful. He was in love. _Oh, Gods... I _am_ in love... How am I going to handle this...? I slept with the woman I was supposed to kill... I _love_ one of the greatest enemies of my brother and our gang... _

_Oh, dearest Gods, I am truly going to die._

For the briefest of moments, he panicked, completely and utterly. He forced down the scream that threatened to tear from his throat, every muscle tensed in an instinctive flight-or-flight urge, and every nerve in his body screamed at him that someone was going to burst into the room and shoot them both _right now_.

Then he calmed himself down and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. _Calm, calm... Everything is fine... Everything is... Gods!_

Serenity was apparently more awake then he'd thought, because her hands started wandering over his body in a very intimate way. "Mmm, I hardly got to explore last night..." Her voice sounded sleepy, only half-awake.

His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as she fondled him lazily. "Sa- Seh- Serenity..."

"What, you don't want to play?" She looked up at him, and her eyes were genuinely confused. "That's a first..."

Rishid blinked and let that phrase drift through his mind. _That's a first... Dearest Gods, what has this woman-girl gone through? Hasn't a single one of her lovers ever held her gently, or simply watched her wake? Was she always pawed over at every moment? Poor thing... poor, poor girl..._

While he had never had a lover, he had dreamed about it often enough to know what _he_ would want... Perhaps she would want the same... "No, I just want to hold you..." he said honestly. "It is nice, you are very soft and warm, and I would enjoy it."

Serenity felt somewhat blindsided. Even _Tristan_ had never said anything like that. And for a while, she really had thought he'd loved her. "O-oh." She felt very stupid for only managing to say that in response.

Rishid studied her with gentle eyes, a soft frown on his face. He felt completely and utterly _protective_ of her now... something he had never thought possible for anything or anyone other than his brother.

His brother... oh, Gods, Malik was going to hate him forever now... He was never going to leave the city alive... He would surely send Marik out to kill him. He forced himself to calm down by hugging Serenity tighter and burying his nose in her hair. _We will not tell them. I was not followed here, and she will never tell her brother... We will continue this liaison in secret, and if we _are_ ever found... We will leave. Quickly. Very quickly._

Serenity blinked as Rishid's arms tightened around her and he hid his face in her hair. _He must like my hair..._ Memories from the night before were returning slowly and she blushed a bit. _Yeah, he _really_ likes my hair..._

As her new lover continued to nuzzle her hair and take deep breaths, the full extent of what had happened last night fully hit her. _I- oh, God, I had sex with the worst hired killer in the city! He's killed so many people, and most of them in my brother's gang... My brother... shit, how is Jou going to react to this... He'll kill me! Maybe even literally!_

Rishid felt her tense, and pulled back to look at her. "I see you've thought our position out as well as I have..."

"We're dead..." Serenity whispered. "We're so dead..."

"No, we're not..." Rishid said gently, touching her cheek. "If we part now, no one will ever have to know what we did..."

Serenity considered that option for a moment. _I could just walk away... I don't have to stay with him... I- I could convince myself that he forced me into it, that would go along with my vow, I guess... He certainly didn't really give me a chance to say "no"..._

She chewed her lip and looked away. _But... he's been so... kind. Nice. Even gentle. I... want to stay with him. He's a killer, I know... but... he doesn't act like it._

"I don't want to leave you," she found herself saying. "I don't care if it means we're going to die. I just want to be with you."

Rishid watched her carefully, unsure of whether or not she was telling the truth. Part of him muttered about betrayal and the possibility that she was just using him to get information from his brother. He tried to ignore that part. "You are very young," he finally said softly. "I hate to see you waste your life on me."

Serenity raised a slow eyebrow. For a moment, she thought he was fishing for compliments- then she realized he was very serious. "Why would I be wasting my life?"

Green-gold eyes turned down, away from her face. "I... I am nothing special. I am only one who kills for the love of his family and for money... a murderer and nothing more... You are young... you have the chance still to turn your life around and leave this place..."

Serenity sighed. _We're really gonna have to work on his self-esteem.. or whatever..._ "Look... Rishid, I know I'm young, but that doesn't mean that I'm stupid. No man I've ever met has treated me the way you have... And you're supposed to be my greatest enemy, for God's sake! But... you're not." She took his hand and laced their fingers together. "You're my lover, and my love." She blushed slightly at the admission. "And if I leave this place, I'm taking you with me."

Rishid stared at their hands for a moment before slowly smiling. His face was very stern and brooding, and it seemed as if he never smiled- but when he did, he was even more handsome than before. And he had never been unattractive. "Thank you, my love," he murmured, kissing her hand lightly.

Serenity blushed softly and squeezed his hand lightly. "It's the truth. I just don't know how we're going to make this work..."

Rishid looked around slowly. "In secret," he finally said quietly. "We must never tell anyone what we did, never let anyone know what we did... and will continue to do..."

Serenity slowly nodded, then blinked up at him. "You... you really want to continue this... with me?"

Rishid nodded slowly. "This is the first... ah... relationship I have had in a long time. I would like to say that it is, so far, the best."

Serenity arched an eyebrow. "The _best_? Damn. What sort of lover did you have before?"

"Never truly a lover, more of a bedmate... and it was only once, that we had sex." Rishid shrugged slightly. "But she tried to kill me when she woke up, so I had given up for a while." He brooded quietly for a moment, lost in memory and the still-vaguely aching one-sided love for his brother. "My other love- does not and never will return the sentiment. There is no reason for me to ever pursue him. And since I have met you, I have thought less of him, and so much more of you..."

Serenity arched an eyebrow again, but let it go. _Him? So, he's not just attracted to women... Oh, hell, what if this guy decides suddenly that Rishid _is_ available... And since Rishid obviously _was_- if not still is- in love with him, he'd have to go to him to keep up any pretense of familiarity... Rishid's just that kind of guy, tenacious, never giving up... Oh, _hell_ no, I'm not sharing him!_

Rishid blinked as a fierce possessiveness came over Serenity's face. "Have I said something wrong?" he asked carefully, readying himself for a blow or harsh words.

"You're _mine_!" Serenity said passionately, leaning up and kissing him soundly. "If this- this _guy_ decides that he wants to take you- he can't! You're mine and mine alone!"

Rishid blinked at her, then laughed softly, leaning down and giving her a much gentler kiss. "Yes, my love, I am yours. I promise."

Serenity grinned and twisted a bit, somehow managing to scramble over him, straddling him. "Good," she purred. "I'm going to prove it now..."

Rishid laughed again and gave her a gentle kiss, tangling one hand in her hair. "Please do," he murmured softly.

Jou finished pounding the last of the unfortunate Rare Hunters into the wall of the nearest building and let the body fall to the ground. _Newbies. Sad._ He brushed his hands off and looked around for Tristan, grinning faintly when he saw the other man already across the street, kissing his current lover. Devlin was too pretty for Jou's tastes, but Tristan apparently liked them feminine. _Not my problem. As long as he shows up to work on time and guards my back, I don't care what the hell he sleeps with._

He leaned down and picked up one of the semi-conscious Rare Hunters and shook him, slapping his face a bit. "Hey, sweet'eart. Wakey- wakey."

The Rare Hunter groaned and opened dazed eyes. "Nn- gah!"

Jou smirks nastily. "Hello, kiddo. We're gonna talk..."

The kid- he had to be younger than Jou- sneered at him. "I'm not gonna tell you anything."

"Like hell you aren't." Jou slammed him into the wall again, then held him up off the ground. "Tell me what you were doin' here, and I might be nice an' let ya go..."

The kid swallowed and opened his mouth to talk, when a shot rang out, and his eyes widened. He had just enough time to stare down at the hole in his chest, before he died. Jou cursed and threw the body aside, one hand going to his own chest, but the pain was higher than that. Because of the angle he'd been holding the boy, the bullet had gone into his shoulder, not his lung. "Son of a _bitch_!"

"I missed," a deep, rich voice came from the shadows. Jou was reminded of brass bells ringing slightly out of tune with each other. "Pity."

"Who the _fuck_ are you!" Jou spat, clutching his shoulder. His injured arm hung limp and seemingly useless by his side, but the bullet had gone clean through the muscle, without hitting the bone, and he knew damn well he could still shoot straight.

The voice chuckled. "I am your enemy, and yet I am your friend. That boy knew nothing that you needed to know anyway. And I can't have people babbling information all the time. It's bad for business."

Jou's eyes narrowed. "Who _are_ you? I mean it!"

Another chuckle. "You don't need to know. Not yet. When you do need to know, you'll know."

Jou was hurt, pissed off, and tired. _Enough bullshit._ He emptied the clip into the shadows where the voice came from. "Suck on _that_," he spat.

A hand clamped over his eyes, and another over his mouth. "That wasn't very nice..." the same voice purred into his ear. "I could kill you at anytime, little fool, and you'd never know it. Unfortunately- for me- I still need you. I'll probably need you for a long time. So you are safe... for now. Remember that, Jounouchi Katsuya. Always remember that. As for who I am- you'll find out soon enough. But when you do, you must remember to be a good boy and act as if you don't recognize me... Or else." As abruptly as he had been grabbed, he was released. From further away, the voice spoke again. "Don't worry, little Jounouchi. You won't be harmed, I promise. Not for a while, anyway." The voice laughed again, cold and cruel and insane, and then was gone.

Jou stood there, trembling, eyes wide as he realized just hoe close he had come. _Oh, shit. Oh, _shit_, oh shit... I gotta get out of here... Now!_ He scrambled out of the alley and headed uptown, then out of town, stumbling to Kaiba Mansion without a second thought. He forgot about calling Seto, he forgot about Tristan, forgot about the gang, everything. Terror- something he so rarely experienced- had taken hold, and he was heading for the one place that was "safe" to him.

Seto Kaiba.

The CEO took one look at Jou and his eyes widen. "Jesus- have you been _shot_?"

"Yes..." Jou said shakily. "Drive by- I don't know why... but they pretty much missed... crappy shots..." He laughed weakly. Even in this state, he was a hell of a convincing liar. And the first thing he had done with he had become Seto's lover was to ingrain a set of lies so deeply into his subconsciousness, even _he_ believed they were real sometimes.

Seto pulled him into the house. "Sit," he said crisply, and went to get a first-aid kit.

_Safe._ Jou half-wanted to faint dead away, but didn't want to show that much weakness in front of Seto. He shook a little as he ran over what had happened in his head. _Why the _fuck_ didn't I notice that guy? It's like he was a shadow himself... I've never seen anyone move that fast... I didn't even see him move! I filled that damn alleyway full of bullets and not _onedamn one_ hit him! And he was in front of me and then somehow he go _behind_ me and I have _no idea_ how he did it! Shit... if that's something new Malik cooked up... But that wasn't the Dragonslayer... I've heard he's that fast, and I don't doubt it, but I'd be dead if it was him... No, this is someone new... Or someone who's changed his mind..._

For a moment, he considered the option that it _could_ be the Dragonslayer. _But I've sent men to sway him before... I've offered him money, drugs, women, anything he wanted... And I got the men back in little pieces... No, this guy can't be him, he's too damn loyal._ He rubbed a hand across his eyes. _I don't know. And it's time for me to admit that. But I won't let it happen again. Ever._

"Here..." Seto had returned without Jou's knowledge, another sign that he was utterly exhausted. "Let me see..."

Without another word, Jou peeled off his shirt and let Seto clean and dress the wound. It hurt like a bitch, but he didn't make a sound, other than a pained hiss every once in a while. Instead, he took the chance to stare quite openly at his lover.

_Damn, he's fine..._ He thought vaguely. He remembered reading somewhere that one of the body's natural reaction to a near-death experience was anything from mild desire to overwhelming lust. _Seems like I've got the lust thing goin' on..._ "Hey, Seto?"

Seto glanced up, frowning at the tone of Jou's voice. "Yes, koi?"

Jou leaned down and kissed him hard. Seto's eyes flew wide for a moment, then slowly closed as he leaned into the kiss. "Mmm... What's gotten into you, Jou? Not that I mind..." He raised an eyebrow.

"I want you, dammit..." Jou tugged him up with his good arm. "Now!"

Seto was slightly surprised by the sudden change in his usually docile lover. _Well... stress does things to you..._ He gasped and arched back as one of Jou's wandering hands slipped into his pants. _And I'm not going to argue. Jou needs me... so he can have me._ He smirked faintly and kissed the blonde back. _But this won't be a normal occurrence, my love... I'll be uke this time, just for you, only for you... Don't get used to it._

A/N: Whee! After a three-week break and a week-long writer's block I am _back_ baby! Muahahaha: shifty eyes: And a cookie to anyone who figures out who the mysterious voice is... although y'all probably know. Aw, crap... : wanders off to her class:

**Panda Doru: The Geek God:** Here's your somewhat Seto/Jou pr0n... XD I tried, but it's not too conducive to the story... : shifty eyes: I'll make it up to you, I promise.

**Leaf Zelindor:** : purrs: Here's more! Muahahah!

Duke: eyebrow goes up:

Seto: eyes roll:

Rishid: smirks and pounces:

**The Summer Stars:** Heh. I'm rather cynical too... I've never even had a date, much less a boyfriend. Yeah. Sad, I know. : grins: Thank you! Here's more!

**Kotori-chan:** Thank you! And I'll try to write Rishid/Malik for you, but I have to be in the mood, and my muse has to cooperate with me... It can be difficult at times...

**Mizz-Serenity-Wheeler:** Thank you!


	6. When You Leave My Colors Fade to Grey

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, Rishid would get _so_ much more love than he does... Grr. But I don't. So he remains ignored and abused. Poor Rishid. : pets him:

Malik Ishtar was doing some serious thinking. Rishid had been missing for forty-eight hours, Marik had vanished mysteriously an hour ago, and the men he'd sent to foray into the Black Dragon's territory were all dead or seriously injured _What if something happened to Marik? What if he was jumped in retaliation? Gods, I couldn't handle it..._

It never occurred to him how utterly dependent he now was on the ex-gang leader. Oh, not in matters of the gang... Malik ruled absolutely, his word was Law, and everyone knew it. Even Marik. But in terms of his personal sanity, Marik was _the_ stabilizing factor. Remove him, and Malik would have had very severe problems. Whether he wanted to admit it or not.

He decided to roll the question of where in the hell his brother was for a while. _Where _is_ Rishid? He's never just... vanished like this before. If I didn't know him so well, I'd be worried... but he gets like this sometimes. I think he misses Egypt more than he wants to admit._ Malik worried his lip a little, leaning back in his chair and playing with the ice in his glass. _I suppose it's acceptable... He _is_ my brother, even if not by blood... and I did up and leave with him without so much as a "by your leave"... Dragged him halfway around the world too. He hates cities, I think. It would surprise me if he headed out to some little temple for the weekend. _

The thought of his brother in a temple amused him greatly, and he snickered. _Rishid? In a temple? Whichever God the temple is too would probably smite him on sight for everything he's done..._

But the question remained- where _was_ he? Why had he not at least _called_ his brother to report his whereabouts and his condition? _Had_ something happened to him? _Gods, could he be truly dead? No, no, not my brother, not Rishid. The only person harder to kill than he is is Marik..._

Speak of the Devil and he appears. Marik opened the door and sauntered in easily. "Hello, Malik-koi."

Malik blinked and masked his total relief that Marik was all right with a scornful glare. "And where have _you_ been?"

"Oh, I checked the area out and went over to Rishid's... apartment." The last was said very tactfully- the place Rishid lived could hardly be called a hole in the wall. He was not the neatest of people, if he was alone. "He wasn't there."

Malik played with an ice cube thoughtfully. "He hasn't called either," he mused out loud. "I wonder why..."

Marik smirked slowly. "You know my beliefs, Malik..."

Malik's eyes sparked. "Yes, and as I recall, I told you to keep them to yourself..."

Marik simply held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, an action completely unlike him. "You did, my love, you did... But... surely they seem... just a little more plausible now?"

Malik licked his lips slowly, unconsciously bringing the ice cube up and running it along his lips. _Could Rishid be betraying me? Could he have run off? Is it possible for him to do that to me?_

Marik stared at Malik's lips, fighting himself. He knew Malik wasn't _consciously_ trying to seduce him, but Malik's subconscious was a sneaky, sneaky bastard, and when Marik got on a subject Malik didn't like, he usually ended up getting Marik to tear his clothes off and pound him into the nearest solid surface. Even if he didn't realize he was doing it. _Dammit. I'm just as enthralled with him as he is with me... Damn._

Malik broke from his trance and grabbed his coat. "I'm going over to Rishid's," he said without preamble. "If he's there, I'll talk to him. If not, I'll search his apartment for clues as to his whereabouts, and I will assume nothing!"

Marik smiled slowly, though it looked more like a smirk. "Of course, my love. You should never assume anything..."

Malik nodded and stalked out of the house quickly, eyes blazing, furious at Rishid, furious at Marik for making him even _consider_ such lies, and furious at himself, for not having the will to resist him.

Rishid sat down in his apartment slowly, gingerly, and with a great deal of regret. He had forced himself to leave Serenity's bed before she'd woken up that morning, leaving a small note for her explaining where and why he had gone. He hadn't wanted to leave. The thought pained him, and even now, he longed for her.

_Get your brain back in your head and out of between your legs. Or hers_, he chided himself. _Focus now. You have been, essentially, MIA for the past two days. Malik cannot and will not miss that. So. A reason._

He brooded a little, sinking lower in his chair and turning on the TV to give him background noise. He had only half-formulated a plausible excuse, then the door flew open and Malik stalked in. "Malik..." he blinked, somewhat surprised, but not totally shocked.

Malik turned on Marik, scowling. "You said that he wasn't here!"

"He was not when I stopped by," Marik said coolly, glaring at Rishid, who returned the glare with just as much force. "I for one would like to know where he was."

Rishid schooled his features to what he usually wore when Marik began interrogating him- mild boredom, annoyance at the repetitive situation, and outright contempt towards his questioner. "I left. I do that every so often, don't I, Malik?"

"You usually warn me before you leave," Malik snapped sharply. "I would have appreciated it."

"I apologize, Master Malik," Rishid nodded calmly, eyes lowering slightly. "I simply felt... oppressed."

Malik relaxed slightly. "I understand, brother." He patted Rishid's shoulder gently, missing the infuriated and wrathful look on Marik's face. "I worried."

Rishid felt something twist painfully inside of him. Three days ago, if Malik had said that, he would have fallen in love with him all over again. Now... there was no love there, only guilt, and he knew it showed on his face, so he used it to his advantage. "I am very sorry, my brother," he said very softly, eyes on the floor. "I will not do that again. I swear it."

Malik smiled and hugged him gently, then turned back to Marik, who had composed himself by this point and resumed his expressionless mask. "See, Marik? I will have no more doubts about Rishid. Is that understood?"

"Clearly, sir," Marik said calmly, though Rishid could see the naked rage in his eyes, directed at him. _I have made a dangerous enemy. He has always been my enemy, but I have made a mistake, and he knows it... and he is going to exploit it... I will have to be extra careful from now on._

"Good." Malik smirked and headed out, gesturing for Marik to follow. "We'll call if we need you, Rishid."

"If I do not answer here, call my cell phone." Rishid raised an eyebrow at Marik. "Which I had on me at all times and you could have called to confirm that I was unharmed."

Marik ground his teeth. "We'll remember that."

Malik, on the other hand, laughed. "Of course, thank you brother."

Rishid watched them leave, then sat back and stared at the TV. Slowly, very slowly the realization of how dangerous Marik truly was in his current position dawned on him. _Oh, hell. He's going to try to have watchers on me twenty-four-seven. Tap my phone line, as well, no doubt. Thank the Gods, he can't tap a cell phone. _He fished out his cell phone and stared at it, for a moment, considering calling Serenity, then he put it away. _Laa... She doesn't want to hear from me, not yet. Maybe later. Besides, I don't know who's listening..._ He settled back in his chair and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift. It quickly headed to Serenity, to her smooth skin and soft hair, to the way she felt beneath him...

His eyes opened quickly and he sighed, muttering to himself in Arabic as he headed for the bathroom. He had more than enough time for a cold shower.

Serenity stirred and yawned, reaching for Rishid to cuddle him, and froze. He was gone. _But- but he was _here_ last night... he was! It wasn't a dream, this weekend was _not_ a dream!_

Her eyes filled with tears and she tried to choke them back. _I... I thought he was different... that he loved me! He said he loved me! That he'd never leave me, that we could make this work! Bastard!_ She hit his pillow, and was rewarded with the crinkling of paper. _... What's this?_ She slowly unfolded the note and blinked at it.

_"Serenity,_

_"I know this isn't the best way to do this, but if I waited until you awoke, I know that I would never leave you, and I must... I will come back, but I don't know when or where. I can't let my brother or Marik get too suspicious, or my death will be much sooner than I'd like. I want to spend many years with you, my love, many, many years... Unfortunately that means I must leave you for now. I'll call you sometime when it's safe for me, and we'll pick a place to meet. Always remember that I love you._

_"Rishid."_

Serenity swallows, smiling now, but with tears still in her eyes. _So he didn't lie after all... the schmuck... But he's a sweet schmuck._

She carefully folded the note and put it in a little box her mother had left her. _I love you too, Rishid. I really do. I can't wait to see you again._

She jumped a bit as someone knocked on the door. _Oh, shit, I forgot Tristan still technically lives here..._ "Just a sec!" She got dressed quickly and opened the door, blinking at her brother. "Jou? Oh my God, are you hurt? What happened?"

Jou sat down slowly, smiling at her. "Thank God you're ok, sis... I got shot last night... I don't know by who, but I wasn't the main target." He frowned faintly. "I was more of... in the way. I don't know who it was... I never saw his face..."

"Was it the Dragonslayer?" she whispered softly, biting her lip. "I've heard he's totally ruthless, and once he takes aim on you, he'll never stop..." She continued quickly, disguising her fear for Rishid out of her fear for her brother. Guilt spiked through her at being more concerned for her lover than her brother, but she couldn't help it.

"Nah..." Jou shook his head. "If it was the Dragonslayer, he wouldn't 'ave wasted his bullet on shooting his own man, 'cause he wasn't totally in the way of me."

Serenity relaxed fully. "Thank God..." She hugged him tightly and closed her eyes. "I'm glad... So where were you then? Why didn't you call?"

"Eh, I didn't want ta worry ya..." Jou patted her head a bit. "I was at Kaiba's, an' he took good care a' me, ok?"

Serenity nodded, lips thin. "I should hope so! He loves you, that's what he's supposed to do!"

Was it her imagination, of did Jou look slightly sheepish? "Yeah, yeah, I know he does, I know... Look, I just wanted to stop by and see if you were ok... Triss said you didn't leave the house all weekend... at least, that's what he says. And since I know damn well he was screwing Devlin the whole time..."

Serenity giggled faintly and shook her head. "No, I stayed home... I just wanted to stay in and avoid people for a little bit, that's all..."

Jou raised an eyebrow and brushed her hair aside revealing a rather livid hickey on her neck. "...uh-huh. Time away from people, huh?"

Serenity blushed hotly and looked away. "Joouuuu... It's- it's-"

"I shoulda known you couldn't stop. All that bullshit you fed me about turning over a new leaf," Jou crossed his arms. "Shoulda known better."

"Fine words coming from _you_," Serenity shot back. "At least I _love_ the man I'm sleeping with! Which is more than I can say for _you_, Jounouchi Katsuya! You don't love Kaiba-kun, do you? You never have! You probably never will! You're just as bad as I ever was!" She turned away from him and crossed her arms. "Get out of my house, Jou."

"This is _not_ your house, Serenity, _I_ bought it, I bought it for you an' Tristan, an' since Triss isn't living here anymore, I should make you move back in with _me_," he glared at her. "That oughta discourage this lover of yours..."

Serenity turned on him and the anger on her face made him take a step back. "Don't you _dare_," she all but shrieked. "Don't you even _think_ of daring! I'll leave! I'll run off! Forever!"

Jou glared at her coldly. "You really think you could survive on your own?"

"Yes," Serenity shot back, just as coldly. "And you know I could."

Jou opened his mouth to argue, then shut it, turning away. "Fine. Fine! You go off and fuck this mystery man. But I'll be watching, Serenity, I'll definitely be watching you, if not him, and if you ever so much as _look_ as unhappy, I'll hunt him down and kill him."

Serenity swallowed and closed her eyes, dropping her head. "Right, niichan. You're welcome to do so." _If you can even come close to killing the Dragonslayer. If I'm even still alive by the time you'd know to kill him._

"'Renity..." Jou sighed and rubbed his forehead. "If... if he's The One, it's ok... it's ok. But if not, just... let me know, ok?"

"I will, niichan," Serenity said softly.

There was another moment of awkward silence, then Jou coughed a bit. "'Renity...?"

"Yes?" Serenity tried to keep herself calm and not annoyed at her brother. "What is it now?"

"...gimme a hug?"

Serenity turned and smiled at him, moving over and hugging him tightly. "Oh, of course Jou... You're still my big brother, no matter what."

Jou smiled gently and hugged her back. "Good... an' you'll always be my little sister."

Serenity smiled in a way that didn't betray the slight despair in her heart. "I know, niichan, I know." _I know I'm your little sister now... but what about when- _if!_- you find out who and what my lover is?_

_What will I be to you then?_

**Kupo:** Heh, no, it's not _quite_ like Romeo & Juliet... God, I hated that play... : shakes head:

**Dark Celery:** ... : pets: Umm... Thanks? Ummm... : more petting: Breathing is good, you know... breeeaaatheeee...

**Fireclaw:** Yeah, yeah, typos happen... : shifty eyes: Stupid typos. Hope this helps your wondering. XD

**DemonicMistress Kree kun:** Heh... hehehe... funny you should mention that... : shifty eyes: Maaaaaaaybeeeeee...

**nicole-purple:** Yes, the... ah... urge to feel alive is common after trauma. I've read about it before. Heheh. Enjoy the Romanian song! Muahahahahaha!

**Leaf Zelindor:** Heh. Well... yeah. Since I don't have your review anymore... : snorks: Whatever. : huggles:


	7. This Is The Choice

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. If I did... well... I wouldn't be where I am today. Well, I would, maybe, but I'd be_ so_ much richer...

A/N: **Lime-ish R/S.** Ye have been warned.

"_You're the hand that spins my revolver around  
When you push me away..."_

Rishid was literally going crazy. At least, that was his opinion.

For nearly a week, Marik's watching eyes had been on him at all times. He had been unable to even _call_ Serenity, as Marik had insisted that he be at Malik's side almost _constantly_ for absolutely no reason! It had taken all his control to appear as he once would have- thrilled beyond belief at the chance to spend so much time with the man he loved, who's love could never be returned...

_Like an infatuated idiot, blindly obeying ad praying to every God for a chance to prove his love to someone so far gone there is no chance of saving him._

Now that Rishid was no longer blinded by his one-sided love, he could see the whole picture. Malik would never, ever stop loving Marik. Ever. Not even if the man turned around and shot Rishid in the back tomorrow for absolutely no reason at all. It seemed to him that Marik didn't fully realize the depth of Malik's devotion, or else he knew he'd be dead. Dead and cold already.

_I have to leave somehow. With Serenity. But damned if I know how. One way or another I _must_ see her, and soon..._

"What's wrong, niichan?" Malik snapped his fingers in Rishid's face. "Are you in there?"

Rishid jerked a bit, eyes meeting Malik's quickly. "I apologize, Malik," he said quickly. "I... I must be more tired than I thought." That, at least, was the truth; he was utterly exhausted, he hadn't slept for the past two days, and he hadn't showered for longer than that.

Malik frowned a little and nodded. "I hadn't realized how long you'd been here, Rishid. Go home."

Rishid saw, out of the corner of his eye, Marik gesture slightly to two Rare Hunters, who nodded to him. _Just two watchers? Please, Marik, do you distrust me so much? I _am_ going home to sleep. Immediately._ "Thank you, Malik." He smiled at his brother and slowly stood, wavering with only a little acting. "Call me if you need me."

Malik nodded. "Don't expect it tomorrow. You deserve a break."

Rishid smiled faintly and nodded a bit. "You are too kind, Malik." He turned and walked out, all too aware of the two followers. _Sad, Marik. You don't even bother to get those who are unnoticeable... Sad. Depressing, really._

He returned to his apartment in a fog, shutting the door and locking it. _Thank the Gods for windowless apartments. Heh._ Without hesitation, he checked all the possible places for hints that someone else had been in his apartment since him. Upon seeing signs that his apartment had been opened, he pulled a gun and started checking for hidden cameras. Then he started noticing little oddly terrifying details. The filthy dishes in his sink had been washed. The garbage had been taken out. Someone had just... tidied up. _It looks like Snow White came through my apartment..._

There was a little sound from the bedroom, and he moved towards it, pushing the cracked-open door fully open and pointing his gun at-

His bed. Or more correctly, the naked woman in his bed.

_...Gods!_

He pulled up quickly, eyes widening. "Serenity!"

Serenity smiled slowly at him, sitting up some, so that the sheet slipped from her upper body. "I missed you," she whispered. "I really did. I decided to come over and wait for you, but you didn't come home... so I got bored, and started cleaning..."

Rishid forgot his exhaustion, forgot the possibility that someone had seen her come in to his apartment, forgot about Malik and the gang. All that mattered what she was here, in his bed, right now. She was his.

He holstered the gun and tore the holster from his body, tossing it on the bed, then ripped his shirt off, and fumbled with his traitorous pants. Serenity laughed and crawled over, helping him with deft hands. "Easy, easy love, you'll hurt yourself..."

Rishid pushed her hands away once they were undone and and pushed her back to the bed. "I have been going insane without you..." he purred in a low voice.

Serenity laughed throatily and lay back willingly. "Mmm, we too. I guess we'll have crazy sex."

"I certainly have no arguments..." he purred, sucking on her neck, hands wandering hungrily as he quickly entered her, moaning softly at the sensations half-forgotten in the last few days because of exhaustion and stress. They writhed together desperately, both frantic for something only the other could give. He had barely enough control left to hold back his own release until hers overwhelmed her, then he lost all resemblance of control and shuddered against her mindlessly with his climax.

He slumped to one side, eyes closed, as their breathing slowly returned to normal. "Mm." He slowly reached out and snuggled her contently. "I love you..."

Serenity smiled sleepily and cuddled to him. "Mm, love you too."

Rishid felt himself drifting towards sleep, and he fought it. "We... we have to talk..."

"Talk later," she kissed his head gently. "Sleep now. You need it."

"Mmm." He stopped fighting it and relaxed, drifting off easily. _Yes... talk later..._

()()()_  
_

Seto Kaiba was suspicious by nature. After his lover had shown up at his house shot in the arm and claiming it was a drive-by shooting, his nature had finally returned from the vacation it had been on, and he had started looking into his lovers background.

What he had found had shocked him to the core.

For the past two years, Jounouchi Katsuya had lied to him. For the past two years, he had let a cold-blooded killer into his house, into his heart, and into his very soul.

He sat at his desk, staring at his computer of his home office. He had called Jou earlier, and, proving his acting skills, had asked him to come by for a quiet evening with just the two of them. Mokuba was at a friend's, and Seto had a loaded pistol in his desk drawer.

Seto never took any chances with betrayers and traitors. Especially those he loved.

He heard whistling in the hall and steeled himself, bringing up a file on his computer at the same time. _I must be calm, and cool, and professional... I will not let my heart come into the picture._

As Jou sauntered into the room, whistling cheerfully and grinning like the idiot he was, Seto's heart constricted painfully. _God_, did he want to go back to believing that this man was nothing more than a poor college student, living at home, with a drunken, abusive father who spent the rent money on beer. But that was a lie. It wasn't the loss of the money- he knew he had more than enough to have Jou run his gang and live comfortably for the rest of his life, and still be a multi-millionaire. If not richer.

No, it was the lying. Seto had been lied to enough. He was tired of it. Gozabura had lied to him for too long, and now the man he thought he loved turned out to be exactly the same.

_Bastard._

Jou faltered a little at the coldly calm expression on Seto's face. "Koi?"

Seto mutely turned the monitor around so he could see the file on the screen. For a moment, Jou's mind went numb, until the slow realization came. _He knows..._ "Oh, shit- Seto, let me explain..."

"As far as I can see it, there's nothing to explain." Seto scrolled through the file without looking at it. He already had it memorized. "Your father is already dead. You shot him. You run a gang, a very prominent one called the Black Dragons. You've been using the money I gave you to hire more goons and buy contraband. Need I go on?"

Jou swallowed. "I... I didn't want to tell you... I knew you wouldn't love me if I told you the truth..."

Seto regarded him with eyes the color and temperature of glacial ice. "I love you even less because you lied," he said. "In fact, I hate you. I want you to get out now, and never, ever come back."

"Seto, please don't do this to me..." Jou took a step towards the desk, one hand outstretched. "Please..."

Seto shoved his hand away, eyes blazing. "Don't _touch_ me," her snarled, pure loathing in his voice. "Don't to this to you? You've done more than enough to me! I let you do everything with me! I loved you! _You _bastard, _I loved you and you _betrayed_ me!_ I _hate _you, you son of a bitch, and I hope you _die_ as soon as you walk out of this building! Not here, because it would stain the carpet, but as soon as possible after that! I hope whatever rival gangs you come up against gun you down, like they should've a week ago! _Damn_ you to _hell_, you bastard and may you rot there!"

Jou wavered, and there were real tears in his eyes. "Seto..."

"Shut up and stop _acting_ for once," Seto snarled. "You were just using me, asshole, and I know it now. I don't know why I didn't notice it before. I've certainly been used enough." He laughed, bitterly, coldly, a sound with absolutely no humor in it. "Hell, the only thing you've got going for you is when we had sex, it _felt_ good, which is the only thing you've done that Gozabura hasn't. You lied, you cheated, and you used me. I've had enough of you, Jounouchi Katsuya. Get out of my house. Or I'll call the police." He sat down slowly, all energy leaving him.

Jou looked at him with unnaturally wide eyes, eyes that pleaded for Seto to believe him. "Seto... Seto, it's not true, not anymore, please believe me... Yeah, I was a bastard at first, yeah, I _was_ just using you for money and sex, but I've _changed_ now, I swear, just give me a chance to prove it!"

Seto closed his eyes, then slowly opened them. "I almost wish I could believe you." His voice was still arctic cold. "Now get out."

Jou struggled with his utterly confused emotions, nodding dazedly and staggered out of the office, pausing just outside to regain control of himself. _I... I _was_ just using him... I... What changed? Why do I feel like I'm letting go of something I should die over, not something I should just... throw away?_ He licked his lips and slowly headed out of the mansion. He sat on a bench outside the mansion and dialed Seto's number.

_"Kaiba."_

"Seto- please, just listen to me for a minute-"

_Click._

Jou licked dry lips and tried again. No one picked up. He tried again. And again. And again. Finally, the phone picked up.

_"I thought I'd made it clear, Jounouchi. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to see you. I don't ever want to hear your voice or smell your stench again, is that understood?"_

Jou swallowed at the naked hate in that tone. "Seto- Seto please, you're not even giving me a chance..."

_"I gave you a chance,"_ Seto said coolly. _"You blew it. Never call again."_ He hung up.

Jou put the phone back in his pocket with trembling hands. _I can't believe this is happening. I can't. I... I can't believe it upsets me so much..._

Slowly, he stood up and headed back to the warehouse that served as his gang's headquarters. He didn't want to go home right now.

Going to the headquarters wasn't much better. Tristan lounged in a corner, blatantly making out with Duke. The sight _hurt_, more than he'd ever expected it to. "Taylor! Knock it off!"

Tristan sat up straight, knocking Duke off his lap. "Jou! Damn, man, what the fuck's up your ass?"

"Well it ain't fuckin' _Kaiba_, that's for sure," Jou shot back. "He knows."

Tristan blinked, then bit his lip. "Fuck. Oh, fuck, man..."

"Yeah, no shit," Jou snapped. "He kicked me out. So times might get tough. Deal." He grabbed a pack of cigarettes up and stalked to a different part of the warehouse to chainsmoke.

Duke scrambled back up into Tristan's lap and blinked at Jou's retreating back. "Huh."

Tristan frowned faintly. "That's not like him..." he mused softly. "He's takin' this too hard for it to be just the loss of the income."

"Damn, you're thick," Duke tapped his skull. "All that hair's getting in the way of your mental processes. _He loves him_."

"Yeah, everyone knows Kaiba loved Jou..." Tristan nodded a bit. "What's so big about that..."

"Baka." Duke rolled his eyes and messed up his hair. "Jou loves Kaiba!"

"..." Tristan blinked slowly and his eyes widened. "Holy _shit_. You're right..."

"I always am," Duke smirked smugly and preened a little, fiddling with his hair. "And you know it."

Tristan laughed and kissed him lightly, then sat back. "What about Jou? I don't think he's ever been in love before..."

"Then he's gonna have issues..." Duke shrugged. "I've worked with Kaiba before... you wrong him, and he's the worst son of a bitch in the world to work it out with."

"So if you fuck him and lie to him about loving him?"

"You're totally screwed." Duke nodded, frowning and leaning back against him. "In my professional opinion, Jou should seriously just give up. He doesn't have a chance in hell."

Tristan sighed. "You don't know Jou like I do..." he shook his head. "He's never giving up. He's gonna go after Kaiba until it kills him... And it just might... We gotta keep the Hunters from finding out about this..."

Duke sighed. "You're getting in over my head, Triss... I don't want to know about anything pertaining to the gang and you know it..."

"I know." Tristan sighed, glancing once more in the direction Jou had gone, and stood. "Let's go home... He doesn't need us anymore..."

"Right," Duke stood and looped an arm around his waist. "We've got things to do."

Tristan looked him over and smirked. "Yeah... yeah we do..."

Jounouchi Katsuya sat in his office and stared blankly at the last bit of cash that had come from his now-ex boyfriend. That thought hurt. It hurt a lot. He slowly picked up his gun and examined it, fingering it slowly and wondering what it would be like if he shot himself in the head.

_Nah._ It would be too much trouble, he decided, and he didn't really want Serenity to find him. It was a distinct possibility.

He didn't know what to do next. His hand twitched towards the phone, almost instinctively calling the number he had dialed every time he had been bored for the past two years. He stopped it quickly. Seto had said he hadn't wanted to hear his voice. He had to obey Seto's last wish for him. It was the least he'd ever done for his koi.

No. Not his koi anymore. Jou almost laughed out loud. Two years, he'd slept with the man, and never _once_ had he considered him his love. His fucktoy, his bedmate, his source of income, but never his lover. Now that it was over... he wanted that love that Seto had offered.

Too little. Too late.

_Always too late._

He stood up and moved over to a liquor cabinet and rummaged around in it and drew out a bottle of scotch. _This'll work._ He sat down slowly and opened it, sniffing it a bit, then smiled without happiness and started drinking.

_Too little. Too late._

()()()_  
_

**Leaf-Zelindor:** Dankies! Hope you like this one... : nods;:

**nicole-purple:** ... The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Music... Riiiiiiiight... **Anyway**, don't question the nice plotholes, just let them slide. Heh.

**DemonicMistress Kree-kun:** I'll try to make the chapters longer... .# My muse only tells me so much at a time... : sighs: I know they're short, but I hope they're satisfactory... Did you never get my e-mail? Let me know...

**Kupo:** : grins: So glad someone else sees it my way! And thank you very much!

**Airtos:** Thank you...

**OBSESSED Uber Rei:** Hehe. Malik is totally oblivious, yes. Poor Malik. : grins: Thank you!


	8. This is The Point of No Return

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Mew. Sorry.

_xXx  
_

_"Riiishiiiiid..."_

_He froze in fear, one had going to the gun in his belt- that was now a scimitar, viciously sharp and long. The crazy voice laughed, the sound like horrible brazen bells, ringing out of tune with one another. It sounded so oddly familiar, and yet so horrifically strange..._

_"Rishiiiiid..." The voice called again, closer this time. Rishid instinctively huddled down, making himself as small a target as possible. "Come heeeerrreee, Rishiiiiid... I have something to shooooow yoooouuuu..."_

_Rishid swallowed and slowly started edging away, eyes closed in the pitch-blackness, guiding himself by feel. "Rishid! Come _here_... We want to say hello... Don't we want to say hello, dolly? Yes... yes we do..."_

_He shuddered and continued edging away. "Rishiiiiiid... are you still out there? Don't leave your pretty dolly here all alone..."_

Gods, Gods, just a little further, a little further and I'll be safe... safe..._ He knew that was true, knew that he only had a little further to go, and soon he would be safe, away from the voice, away from the insanity, away from it all..._

_A high-pitched, terrified feminine shriek rent the darkness, jerking him to his feet reflexively. "_RISHID!"

_He knew the voice- knew it like his own. "Serenity!"_

_"We _found_ you!" Light blazed up around him, along with insane cackling. It blinded him, forcing him to his knees, rubbing his smarting eyes. "Silly Rishid... Can't hide from us, no..."_

_Tears streaming from his eyes, he tried to focus them on the figure in front of him, seeing only a dark blotch that seemed taller than tall... Then the broken and bloodied body of Serenity was dropped in front of him. "The price of betrayal, dear brother..." Malik's disembodied voice rang in his head as he gathered Serenity's body to him and rocked her gently. _

_"My love... my love, Gods, my love..."_

_"Silly Rishid..." The insane voice purred, as something metallic and cold was laid along the back of his neck. "You asked for this. Betrayer. Defiler. Murderer."_

_Pain shot through him as the metal thing bit into his neck. He tried to scream, but he had no voice, and the darkness fell again..._

Rishid sat straight up in bed, panting. Cold sweat trailed down his face, into his eyes, mingling with the tears that traveled down his cheeks. _Gods... Oh, Gods, what was that?_

"Mmm..." Serenity shifted and nuzzled against his chest a little, one eye lazily half-opening. "Rishid? What's wrong? You're crying..."

"It's nothing... just a dream." He stroked her hair gently. "Go back to sleep."

"Mm..." Serenity's eyes closed and she snuggled against his side as sleep took her again. Rishid was not so lucky. He remained awake, staring into the shadows of half-past midnight, wondering just what in the hell his dream meant. If anything.

Serenity slipped out of the back door of Rishid's apartment silently, glancing around for watchers and relaxed when there weren't any. He was still asleep- he'd been totally exhausted when he'd arrived home, and he needed his rest.

But she had made a mental red flag to ask him about his dream he'd had earlier. Whatever was strong enough to make someone like him wake up crying was something terrible.

But before she could do that, Jou had left a message on her answering machine earlier asking her to stop by. Serenity smiled a bit. Sometimes her brother was annoying and pigheaded, but he was still her brother. Surely he'd understand about Rishid... surely he'd see past this silly gang stuff and accept that she loved him, and give his blessing.

And maybe pigs would fly in parade formation around the sun, singing "God Save the Queen." It was about as likely to happen as Jou's blessing in her relationship.

_I'm just going to stop hoping._

She moved quietly into the warehouse, looking around with a raised eyebrow at the slumped and unconscious bodies. _They are _so_ lucky I don't tell Rishid about this... He'd die laughing... after he called Malik to tell him how pathetic their enemies are... But as amusing as the thought is, I couldn't betray niichan... Never._

She pushed open Jou's office door and blinked at the scene. "Oh, my God," she finally said, wrinkling her nose up in disgust. "Ushiro! Get me a bucket of water..."

The hung-over gang member carried in a large bowl of water and promptly threw it in Jou's face. Her brother sat up sharply, spluttering and gasping, one hand going for the gun he wasn't wearing.

"Good morning, baka," Serenity said in a voice heavily-laden with sarcasm. "I bet your head hurts..."

"'Ren? God... What the hell are you doin' here?" Jou winced and raised one hand to his head.

"I came to see if you wanted to have a friendly brother-sister lunch. I guess it's out of the question now..." her tone was a combination of chiding and wry amusement. "Honestly, Jou, you're acting more like Dad then I thought you could."

For an instant, she flinched away as Jou pulled back his hand to slap her, then he sighed and slumped back. "Fuck. You're right." He sat back and fumbled with the half-full bottle of rum. Judging by the other empty bottles around, Serenity surmised that he had been drinking until he passed out last night.

_Idiot, idiot, idiot._ She tried not to feel contempt, but it leaked out anyway. _He's acting so much like Dad... The only thing he's got going for him is that he didn't actually hit me... _"Jou... think about this for a minute... you're really acting like Dad... and it's scaring me."

"Fucking Kaiba..." Jou managed. "'Sall his fault. Bastard."

Serenity sighed and looked skyward. "What, he broke up with you because he found out you were sleeping with him for money?"

"I fucking _love_ him, Goddammit!" Jou exploded, throwing the half-empty bottle against the wall.

Serenity winced, both at the crash and at her brothers words. "Oh... Oh, niichan, I'm sorry..."

"Don't be..." Jou slumped back in his seat, eyes closing. "I deserved it... He was right... I'm a bastard an' a son of a bitch an' I deserve ta die in the gutter..."

"No! You _don't_, Jou, snap out of that _right now_." Serenity crossed her arms and glared at Jou. "I swear, sometimes you're more stubborn than anyone I've ever met! Now get up. You're going to take a shower and reenter the world, is that understood?"

"You're givin' me orders?" For minute, Jou's eyes blazed, then the light died and he chuckled weakly. "Figures." He reached for another bottle, only there weren't any. "Aw, shit..."

Serenity looked skyward. "Jou, if you're not going to help me help you, then I'm leaving..."

"Sure. Leave." Jou gave her a tired glare. "Jus' like everyone else. Leave like Mom left. Yer takin' after her in just about every other way."

Serenity lost control of her temper. She was raised by her mother, that was true, far away from her brother and her father for the most part, but she was still a Jounouchi. She pulled back and landed a perfect punch on Jou's perfect chin.

The blow sent him sprawling out of his chair onto the floor, staring at the ceiling with glazed and very dazed eyes. _What the _fuck_ was that?_

"You _bastard_!" Serenity shrieked. "Don't you _ever_ compare me to Mom again! _Ever_! I'm _nothing_ like Mom! I'm _not_ going to abandon you, you _jerk_, I never would! I'm just not going to sit here and let you wallow in booze and self-pity! Dammit, if _I'm_ acting like Mom, _hello_, you're being just like Dad! Jesus! If I didn't have- never mind. No, we're not going into this. Just... whatever. If your sorry ass wants to wallow in guilt and self-pity rather than _doing_ something about it, that's fine by me! But don't come crawling to me!"

"'Ren..." Jou tried to sit up as Hurricane Serenity stormed out of his office and out of the warehouse. "Aw, _fuck_," he muttered, rubbing his jaw. _What'd I do? What the _hell_ did I do? Why'd comparing her to Mom set her off like that? What the hell?_

He sat up and righted his chair and started brooding. _Huh. Well, the result's the same. She left ya, just like Kaiba kicked you out... abandoned you..._

He grabbed another bottle and shoved his sister's painful words to the back of his mind. _It don't matter anyway._

_Nothing matters anymore._

xXx

Rishid flipped through the channels of his TV, eyes blank and staring. Serenity had been gone once he woke up, but the dream still haunted him. The thought of her hurt or dead because of him terrified him more than his own death.

_Gods, if I lost her I would die..._

His brooding was interrupted by a miniature hurricane bursting into his apartment and latching onto him. He had his gun halfway out before he realized that the person sobbing against his chest was Serenity, and he quickly wrapped his arms around her. "Serenity? Love? What happened..."

"He'll never accept it! He's a pigheaded brute, just like Dad, and he'll turn out just like Dad, Mom was right, God, Mom was right..."

All this was sobbed into his shirt, muffled by his chest, and said in English. Rishid just sighed and blessed his ability to speak several languages. "Who, love?" He nuzzled her hair lightly, though he had a feeling that he already knew the answer.

"Jou." Serenity pulled back and sniffed at him. "Kaiba broke up with him because he found out that Jou was just using him for money. And sex. And he was so upset about it... I think he realized that he really _cares_ about Kaiba... And now he doesn't have him anymore... But he's drinking himself stupid, and then he tried to hit me, and he _didn't_, he stopped himself, but he's just like Dad!"

For an instant, Rishid wanted to grab his gun, stalk over to Jounouchi's little hangout, and kill him. Immediately. Then he calmed himself down and resumed stroking her hair. "Sh. I'm certain it was just the drink..."

"He compared me to _Mom_... To **_Mom_** of all people... He knows I'm nothing like her!" Her hands fisted in his shirt as her voice raised to a shriek.

Rishid had a feeling that this was the cusp of the rage he was currently the object in the way of. "I'm certain he didn't mean it-"

"I would _never_ betray him like Mom did!" Serenity didn't even appear to hear him. "Even though I'm with you, I never tell you anything! I never betray his secrets, and I never tell you his plans!"

"Not that I would ever tell Malik if you did," Rishid said quickly, rubbing her arms a bit. "I love you too much to do that..."

Again, she appeared not to have even heard him, simply continued ranting. "And then he goes and tells me that I'm turning into her! That I'm just like her! Just because he _was_ acting just like Dad and I was trying to snap him out of it so he wouldn't hurt himself or hurt others!"

"It can't be that bad..." Rishid soothed, gently sitting her down with him on the couch.

"'It can't be that bad'?" Serenity shrilled, staring at him. "Rishid, you have no idea what it was like with that woman! She- she never let me do _anything_, I- I wasn't allowed to watch certain TV programs, I couldn't go out, I couldn't do _anything_ I wanted to do!" She hit his chest, more in frustration at the past, than anger at him. "When my eyesight started going, she wouldn't even let me talk to Jou! I had to run away, I came here in secret and I've been her ever since! Jou had the money to fix me, thank God, but if he hadn't, I'd have gone blind! And Mom _did not care_! Plain and simple! It was all about _her_, her image, her appearance, everything! Her world was all about _her_ and fuck the rest of us! I don't know _why_ she even wanted me! She could've just left me with Dad! Hell, maybe I looked good next to her or something, something she could show off to her lady friends and make herself look good! Maybe I was good for tax returns! Maybe she just liked having me around to fucking torment me! Maybe that's why I'm on this fucking planet! God decided that he'd have a fucking field day with my fucking life and put all these fucking obstacles and shit in there and I'm like a fucking dog, a damned hamster on the wheel and I'm just going over and over and over and He's up there laughing His fucking ass off..."

The slap took her by surprise, and she stared up at Rishid with wide, hurt eyes. He sat her down gently and looked at her. "You needed to breathe," he murmured gently. "Love, I understand... My life has not been an easy road..."

"At least _your_ parents would've cared if you were going blind!" Serenity tried to pull away. He didn't let her.

"I do not know who my real parents are. Or were." His voice was calm- far, far too calm. "I do not know if my mother loved me or not. I know that Malik's mother loved me as her own son... But she died, and Ishtar-sama- Malik's father- was... less than kind to me." He closed his eyes, fighting the old hurt, the ache that still remained from Ishtar-sama's cold and cruel words. "I had never been adopted into Malik's clan... I am, to this day, little more than a servant to Malik. I have no real family, I wanted to love my brother, but he doesn't love me... I... gave up trying anything a long time ago..." He swallowed and looked at her. "I do not make light of your situation at all, my love, not at all... But I have suffered as well... I know that you hurt and I sympathize and empathize with you..."

"I... how could you..." Serenity looked at him slowly, shivering. "I..."

Rishid slowly peeled his shirt off and tossed it to one side, turning. "Shortly before Malik and I left Egypt, Ishtar-sama... became very angry with something I had allowed to happen."

Serenity stared at his scarred back, slowly reaching out a hand to touch it. "Oh, my God..." she breathed, trailing a hand over the scars. "What- how?"

"He took a white-hot blade and carved my back to ribbons." Rishid's voice was very soft. "The only reason I didn't bleed to death was that the wounds were cauterized by the heat. When Malik's sister tried to stop him, she was killed. It was my fault... if only I hadn't let them go to the city... Gods, if I had stopped them, Isis would still be alive... Malik wouldn't have killed his own father... I wouldn't _be_ here..."

"And I wouldn't have met you... I couldn't love you like I do..." Serenity took his cold hand and tried to warm it in hers. "I love you, Rishid... I don't care what you've done... But this... it doesn't sound like it's your fault... It sounds like it's Malik's father's fault... not yours..."

"It was my fault he was angry..." Rishid felt compelled to argue with her. Isis' death haunted him every day and every night, he still had nightmares about Ishtar-sama plunging the dagger he had been using on Rishid into the woman's thin form. _My fault, my fault... Gods, my fault, Isis, I'm so sorry..._

Serenity sighed and hugged him gently, laying her head against his shoulder. "But his anger is not your fault. You couldn't control him, you had no control over his actions, and Malik's sister's death is _not your fault_. No matter _what_ you think..."

Rishid slowly looked at her, swallowing. Malik had been trying to tell him that for years, even since it had happened. But... coming from Serenity... Granted, she was biased, if she truly did love him as he loved her- _she has to! I can't think that way now_- but she still did not know the details, the little things that lead up to it, she didn't know the whole story...

She was not an impartial third party observer, but she was the next best thing. Some of the guilt- just a little- lifted from him, and he relaxed, smiling just a little. "Thank you." He murmured softly, letting his arms wrap around her.

She willingly leaned against him and rested her head against his chest. "I love you, Rishid. If I can make you feel better... in any way... I will..."

Rishid's smile grew and he cupped her face in his hands. "You being here make me feel better..."

Serenity tilted her head to one side, and her eyes danced suddenly. "Mm, does that mean you no longer require my other services?"

Rishid arched an eyebrow at her, a smirk dancing along his lips. "Who said I _required_ those services from you?"

Now it was Serenity's turn to arch an eyebrow. "Are you saying," she said, with deliberate slowness, as she trailed a hand down his chest, "that I could just up and leave and you wouldn't mind?"

For a minute, he considered his masculine pride, weighing it against the mind-blowing sex he could have instead. "I was wrong. I need you... I can't live without you... I will die without you..."

Serenity smiled triumphantly and pressed against him, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "Good," she murmured. "Because I don't want to lose you... ever."

"You won't," Rishid promised, kissing her back more forcefully and fervently. "I promise. I love you, Serenity Jounouchi, and I will _never_ leave you. _Ever_."

"You'd better not," she managed to force out, before he covered her lips with his own, making further speech impossible. He tugged her with him so he could slam the door to his apartment shut, then staggered to the bedroom, still holding her close.

Down the hall, lavender eyes narrowed in barely-suppressed fury. _So. He would betray us. So he would defy and reject us. So he would turn his back on us and abandon us!_

_This is the proof I need, this is the sign that it is time for my plan to be put into action. This is the moment I was waiting for. When Malik hears of this, when I bring him here and shove this in his face and make him see what his _dearest_ brother has done, who he is with, he will crumble... And who better to pick up the pieces, who better to support him and put him back together?_

Marik's eyes gleamed with an unholy light as he turned on his heel and stalked out of the building. _Finally, I will be able to do as I have wished for so long... I will kill Rishid... and then Malik will be mine... all mine, mine forever... Rishid will never get in the way again... Never again!_

Other people in the building shivered and double-checked their locks as insane laughter echoed around the hallways. Marik swept back out to the streets and headed for the Rare Hunters' warehouse. _Now let it be war upon you both!_

_

* * *

_

A/N 2: Keh. Can you tell that I'd seen Phantom of the Opera and listened to it a few too many times before writing this chapter? Yeah... yeah... This thing has been done for a while, but with exams and everything... # **DemonicMistressKree-Kun** I love you forever and you are the best squeeee! Name your price or fic you want written, it's yours! Now off to take my very last exam of the semester! Wheee: runs off:

**Airtos:** Glad you like! Here's more!

**Panda Doru the Geek God:** You'll see, you'll see. : pats: I am sorry to torment you so. ...not, no I'm not. Not really. : shifty eyes: Sorry.

**Nicole-purple:** Because Marik underestimates Rishid, duh. : smirks: And I can't spell it either, so don't worry about it.

**OBSESSED Uber Rei:** : grins: I'm glad you enjoy. There will be Marik/Malikness to come, I hope. : pokes muse: Anyway, Rishid's self-esteem is almost nil, much like in the show. : sighs: The man gets _no love_, seriously.

**DemonicMistressKree-kun:** : glomps: Oh my God I love you. Thank you so much for the fic! Name your price, it's yours! For those of you who haven't read it, go read "Rain Dance" by this authoress!

**FabulousWatapon:** Thank you for the kind words! Wow, everyone wants Seto and Jou to get back together... : shifty eyes: And thank you for the review on "Picking a Husband!" Just goes to show you how insane Humanities can make a person!


	9. Out of My Hands

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Insert witty disclaimer here.

Jounouchi had no idea what the hell he was doing outside Malik's warehouse. He really didn't. It was as if his hung-over, leaden feet had dragged themselves here of their own accord. He had never had any real intention of ever actually _telling_ anyone he knew where this place was, unless there was no other choice.

There were certainly other choices right now, but he really couldn't think of any. He just kept staring up at the warehouse dazedly, wondering what his next move would be. _Maybe I shoulda thought this out a bit more..._

Stupidly, he opened the door and stepped inside. _What the _hell_ are you doing?_ A tiny voice inside his mind screamed. _This is suicide! Ok, so you're depressed over Kaiba, why don't you jump off a cliff instead? It'll be less painful in the long run, honest!_

He ignored the voice in his head, like he always did. He had just gotten used to ignoring it. _I miss him. I fucking _miss_ him. I gotta get my mind off this... I _have_ to..._

He took a deep breath and licked his lips, slowly drawing back, and kicking the door to the warehouse open. _I'll distract myself._ "Yo, _Malik_!"

The warehouse was dead silent, and he stood in the doorway, one hand on his gun. He looked around, frowning. _Aaaaaaand people aren't crawling out of the woodwork to kill me?_

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here?"

A highly-indignant and _very_ pissed off Malik stalked down the stairs from the second level of the warehouse. He was wrapped in a silky lavender robe that looked like he'd bought it from "Victoria's Secret". Marik followed, half-dressed, eyes narrowed to annoyed slits. Malik was unarmed. Marik most definitely was _not_, holding a pistol in each hand.

Any ideas Jou had flew out the window. _Shit._ "Uh..." He lowered the gun slowly, uncocking it and putting it away. "Well..."

Malik stalked across the warehouse floor, stopped about a foot away from him and pulled himself up to his full height, crossing his arms. "You have thirty seconds to give me a reason. At the end of the thirty seconds, Marik will blow your head off, and we'll go back to having sex."

Jou made a face and shook his head. "I _so_ did not need to know that, ok? I... uh... came here to... make a deal." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

Marik smirked slowly and chuckled, the sound like metal grating on metal. Jou froze. _I've heard that laugh before..._

_He_ was the man who had accosted him, threatened him in the alley. _Oh, shit. Oh, shit, shit, shit. I am in trouble._

Marik leaned his chin in Malik's hair. "What should we do with him, my love?" He leaned down and nibbled his ear. "He _is_ our greatest enemy... do I get to kill him? May I play with him?"

Malik fought down a shiver. _Sometimes, having a relationship with a complete lunatic can have its disadvantages..._ "No, Marik, he said he wanted to make a deal..."

"A deal with us?" Marik murmured, head tilted, eyes half-closed. "Mmm. Whatever gave him that idea?"

Jou shivered. "Uh- uh- um-"

"Perhaps," Marik continued, letting go of Malik and artfully draping himself over the nearest inanimate object, "this will be a good time to mention the... very interesting sight I saw today."

Malik raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You didn't speak of this earlier..."

"You were very... enthusiastic when I returned," Marik smirked at him. Jou rolled his eyes.

"If you're not gonna shoot me, can I just leave or sit down or something?" He started edging towards the door.

"Sit," Marik snapped, sitting up slowly. "What I have to say applies to you as well."

Jou slowly felt around behind him and grabbed a chair. "Ok..." He sat down slowly, not wanting to turn his back on Marik at all.

Malik scowled slowly. "This seems awfully like you're keeping a secret from me, Marik..." he said in a quiet voice. "I thought..."

Marik smirked slowly at him. "You said you wanted to hear no more on the subject, so I remained silent until now. But now, I think we can have this... discussion. As to what I saw..." His smirk grew until it was a full-fledged evil smirk. "I saw Jounouchi's little sister in... a rather... compromising position with dear Rishid. Several compromising positions, actually."

Jou had to sit there for several minutes until that processed. Then he lunged for Marik's throat. "You lying _bastard_!"

At the same time, Malik turned to glare at him. "Marik, how many times to I need to tell you..."

Marik brought up one pistol and placed it against Jou's forehead as the blonde grabbed him by the shirt. "If I'm lying, we should go to Rishid's apartment and double-check, shouldn't we?" He cocked the gun. "And you will let go of me. Or any deal you want to make will not happen..."

Jou let go of him slowly, swallowing. "Bastard. You _are_ lying. Serenity wouldn't do that... She _wouldn't_..."

Malik scowled and nodded curtly. "Fine, Marik. We'll go to niichan's apartment. Go get a shirt." He glanced over his shoulder and two gang members seemingly appeared. He jerked his chin at Jou and turned away. "Keep an eye on him." He then headed upstairs to get dressed, Marik following him, smirking.

Jou sat down again with a shiver. _'Ren wouldn't do that... she _wouldn't_... she promised me she was a different person now..._

_Wait a minute... she had those hickeys... and she _did_ say she was in a relationship... With the _Dragonslayer_? Not 'Ren... Serenity wouldn't do that to me... She wouldn't betray me like that... She wouldn't..._

He found it harder than it should be to convince himself.

xXx

Rishid hugged Serenity to him gently. She was sleeping contently now, more relaxed than she had been in a while. Perhaps she had needed to rant at someone. He was fairly certain he'd exhausted her as well.

He smiled faintly, fingers combing through her hair. _Gods, what would I do without you...?_

He shook his head. _Best not to think like that. It could come true at any moment..._ Something had been bothering him all evening, as if there was something he'd forgotten... something that should have been very prevalent in his mind, as was conspicuously absent.

_Was I supposed to meet with Malik today? He never told me if I was... I danced attendance on him all last weekend, he can't be expecting me... If this feeling doesn't go away, I'll call him..._

Serenity stirred a little and curled closer to him. His smile increased and he smoothed a hand through her auburn hair. _I've never thought about having a lover... other than Malik, that is... I've never considered a wife, never considered children... But now... Now I find myself wanting to... settle down. To retire, I suppose. But in order to do that, I would have to leave. Immediately. And go very, very far away, where Malik's influence will never touch._ He shivered a little and drew Serenity closer, trying to leech warmth from her, despite the fact that he was cocooned in blankets himself. He still _felt_ cold at the mere thought of Malik's revenge. _My brother does not forgive and forget. What's his is his forever._

A knock at the door made him jump violently and grab his gun before he was even conscious of what he was doing. He forced his racing heart to calm and placed the gun aside. The knock came a second time, louder and more insistent this time.

He moved over to the door and yanked it open, right in the face of a stunned Black Dragon. They stared stupidly at each other for a long moment- Rishid was completely unmistakable, every Dragon knew who he was. "S-Serenity?" The man said, somewhat stupidly.

Serenity had woken up as Rishid had gotten out of bed. "Ushiro?" She blinked and moved over to the door. "Oh, no, Ushiro, what are you _doing_ here?"

"Your brother sent me after you, I saw you come in here... what are you _doing_ with him! He's- he's- do you _know_ who he is?"

"He's- he's my _lover_." Serenity said firmly. "Ushiro... please..."

"No, no way," Ushiro shook his head. "I'm gonna go tell Jou... I can't believe you're betraying him like this..."

"I'm not betraying him!" Serenity took a step towards him. "I'm not! I'm in love, I never tell him anything, _please_ don't do this..."

"Tell it to Jou yourself, Serenity." Ushiro reached for her. "We're leaving..."

A shot rang out before anyone knew what was happening. Ushiro stared at the hole in his chest, then stared at Rishid, who lowered the gun slowly. Then his eyes glazed over and he crumpled.

"No!" Serenity tried to grab Ushiro, but Rishid grabbed her back. "You _bastard_!" She shoved at his hands, then pounded on his chest. "Let me go!"

"You would rather he separated us?" Rishid asked quietly, though he did release her. She pulled away from him and knelt by the body. "He would have. He would have gone straight to your brother, or his Second."

"I could've talked to him!" Serenity's hands shook as she checked for a pulse. Ushiro had always been there... he had been one of her bodyguards more times than she could count, and he had always been so faithful to her brother... And now he was dead because of her... "I could've..."

"You know he wouldn't have listened." Rishid knelt down next to her and touched her shoulder. She flinched away. "Serenity... he wouldn't have..."

"I could've _made_ him listen!" Serenity punched his chest as hard as she could- it felt like hitting a brick wall and he barely even felt it. "I _could've,_ you never gave me a chance, just like you never gave me a chance to tell you _no_, to leave, to never get involved with you in the first place! You never gave me a chance to not love you!"

From the stricken look on his face and the way he recoiled from her, that had hurt him far more than any measly punch ever could have. Serenity bit her lip and searched for words to apologize, and found that she didn't _want_ to. He had killed her friend! He deserved to hurt!

He turned away from her, eyes closed tightly. "And do you want me to give you a chance to say those things again?" He asked softly, but with a very bitter edge. "Or should I just go inside and forget about you?"

"If it'll be that easy, then just go." Serenity snapped, looking down at her friend's body and then back at him. "I'll be bringing niichan soon."

Rishid started laughing, a humorless, dull sound. "You would have him kill me? I see."

"It wouldn't bother me at all," Serenity lied, rubbing her arms. _Hasn't there been enough death? Enough killing? What a mess this all is..._

"Then you should go and get him," Rishid said quietly. "Bring him here and have him kill me. It wouldn't bother me at all. You would have to tell him, of course, how you know me. Why he was here in the first place. But surely he'd forgive you, if you delivered me to him. You could even say that it was your plan all along, to seduce me and make me fall in love with you... then to kill me when I least expected it."

That thought had crossed his mind so many times when they had lain together late at night, when she had been limp and asleep in his arms. He had always dismissed it, giving her the benefit of the doubt. After all, he never told her Malik's secrets, and she never told him Jounouchi's. It was just something they never discussed. But now, all his doubts surged to the forefront of his mind.

"Was that the plan?" He stiffened his posture, turning to face her and crossing his arms. "Was everything you said a lie?"

Serenity stared at him. "_No_!" The word exploded out of her before she could stop herself. "I _loved_ you! I still do! But- but you're a heartless killer..."

"So is your brother," Rishid pointed out. "And do you love him any less? And I am not heartless, Serenity..." He looked at the ground. "Because I love you."

"Niichan is _not_-" Serenity started to argue back, then stopped. He was. He really was... she had tried to convince herself that Jou _wasn't_ a bad person... But he had just used Kaiba, he killed people for reasons that _sounded_ good but probably weren't...

But he seemed to be paying for it now, and she felt badly for him. She shivered and looked up at Rishid, who was staring at her silently. She simply stared back, unsure of what to say.

Rishid broke the silence by pulling out his gun. Serenity flinched, then froze with wide eyes as he held it out to her. "Would you like to avenge your friend?" he asked, eyes flat and unreadable.

Serenity slowly started reaching for the gun, almost of her own accord. _I could forget any of this ever happened... I could go back to niichan and tell him what I did... I could lie and say that I was here looking for my boyfriend and that the Dragonslayer had ambushed me and Ushiro... that he killed Ushiro but balked at killing me so I shot him..._ Her hands shook, and she drew them back to her chest quickly. _I can't..._ "I can't..." She whimpered, eyes closing tightly. "I can't..."

Rishid dropped the gun and moved over to her, taking her into his arms quickly. "Shh." He soothed her, rocking her gently and kissing her hair. "Sh, it's all right."

"No, no it's not..." Serenity sobbed into his chest. "My friend is dead and _you_ killed him and I can't even stay angry at you like I want to because I _love_ you so much!"

"I'm somewhat relieved at that," Rishid admitted, stroking her hair gently. "I love you too... and I do not want you to be angry, I do not want to die... I want to stay with you..."

"Don't you _ever_ leave me..." Serenity clung to him tightly. "Don't you ever, _ever_ leave me... Ever."

"I promise, I won't." Rishid stroked her hair some more, kissing her gently. "I love you too much to leave you..."

"I love you too much too." Serenity whispered, looking at him. _I _should_ be angry... I want to be angry... Why can't I be angry?_

Rishid stroked her cheek lightly, then leaned down and gave her a gentle, soft kiss. She leaned up into it, arms wrapping around him slowly, losing herself in it. There was nothing but him. She needed nothing but him. Why had she been so upset? Nothing else mattered...

"Oh, Jesus."

Rishid pulled away, his eyes flicking up to the hallway. He'd forgotten where they were. They were still outside his apartment, standing in the middle of the hallway, with a dead body at their feet.

_This is going to be difficult to explain to my landlord..._

As he saw who had spoken, he realized that it was going to be even trickier than he'd thought.

Jounouchi, Malik and Marik all stood in the hallway, staring. Well, Jounouchi was staring in shock, Malik in disbelief, and Marik- Marik had the most triumphant expression on his face he had ever seen.

"Well, _brother_," he drawled, casually pulling a gun and pointing it at him. "I think you have some explaining to do."

* * *

...comments? Complaints? -shrugs- 


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